World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

ALTERATION IN PLASMA HOMOCYSTEINE, VITAMIN D, FOLATE AND VITAMIN C CONCENTRATION IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS DUE TO GLUTEN FREE DIET

Faiza Rizvi, Sakhawat Ali, Muhammad Umair Arshad Bajwa and *Naseem Zahra

ABSTRACT

Schizophrenia is a chronic, psychotic mental disorder. Around 1% of people worldwide are affected by this disease. The function of a healthy brain is dependent on balance nutrition, including Vitamins in the diet. The Homocysteine and Folate levels are negatively interrelated with each other in the schizophrenic patients. Former studies have suggested that the gluten in daily diet is harmful to schizophrenics. So, the present study is designed in an effort to determine alterations in Plasma Vitamin D, Folate, Vitamin C and Homocysteine in schizophrenics on gluten free diet. Blood samples of 10 males and 10 females schizophrenic patients, placed on a gluten-free diet and 10 males and 10 females placed on normal diet were collected with EDTA and then centrifuged for collection of plasma with age range from 20-30 years. Homocysteine, Vitamin D and Folate were determined by commercially available kit. The vitamin C was determined by stiochiometric oxidation reduction reaction between ascorbic acid (and isoascorbic acid) and oxidizing agent (2, 6-dichlorophenol indophenol). Finally appropriate statistical analysis was applied to analyze the data. In schizophrenics mean plasma Homocysteine concentration was significantly high while Vitamin C, D and Folate were significantly low due to gluten free diet. The patients included in this study showed low vitamins levels and it is possibly due to low vitamins content in gluten-free products. Therefore, vitamins enriched gluten-free products could be beneficial for schizophrenics.

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