Nutritional deficiencies and clinical correlates in first-episode psychosis : a systematic review and meta-analysis [Poster]

Background: Diet is increasingly recognised as a modifiable factor influencing the onset and outcomes of psychiatric disorders. Previous meta-analyses of blood nutrient levels in schizophrenia have already shown significant reductions in various individual vitamins/minerals. However, studies to date have largely focused on individual nutrients, and only considered nutrient status in patients with long-term schizophrenia. Meta-analytic evaluation of the evidence for nutrient deficits in first-episode psychosis (FEP) is completely absent. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of all published studies comparing blood levels of vitamins and/or mineral in FEP to healthy control samples; and applied meta-analytic techniques to determine the prevalence and extent of deficiencies across the full spectrum of nutrients examined in this population to date.