Low Vitamin D Related to Depression
According to a study published in April 2013, low levels of vitamin D are associated with the presence and severity of depression. An estimated 14.8 million American adults suffer from major depression in a given year.
The researchers evaluated adults between 18-65 years of age, including 1,102 with current depressive disorder, 790 subjects with previous depressive disorder and 494 healthy control subjects. The investigators measured 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and adjusted the data based on sociodemographics, sunlight, urbanization, lifestyle and health.
The researchers found that 33.6 percent of the subjects had deficient or insufficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Additionally, the subjects with current depression had lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels compared to the healthy control subjects. Among the subjects with current depression, the researchers showed that as 25-hydroxyvitamin D decreased, symptom severity increased and were associated with the risk of having depression at the two-year follow-up evaluation.
The study authors stated, “This large cohort study indicates that low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were associated to the presence and severity of depressive disorder suggesting that hypovitaminosis D may represent an underlying biological vulnerability for depression.”
Reference:
Milaneschi Y, et al. Mol Psychiatry. 2013 Apr 9.
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