Vitamin D, often dubbed the sunshine vitamin, forms in the skin when exposed to sunlight. This vital fat-soluble nutrient not only bolsters bone health and cell growth but also enhances the immune system.
Interestingly, its connection to depression has intrigued researchers due to observations that individuals grappling with depression frequently exhibit low levels of vitamin D.
How Vitamin D Works
The body requires an optimal level of Vitamin D for proper functionality. Vitamin D receptors are present in muscles, the heart, brain, and the immune system. This vitamin is transported to the kidneys and liver, converting into an active hormone that aids calcium absorption.
Vitamin D is obtained through sunlight exposure, and it can also come from specific foods and supplements. Melanin, the pigment responsible for human and animal skin coloration, is found at higher levels in individuals with darker skin tones. This increased melanin presence can hinder the effective absorption of vitamin D by the skin.
However, vitamin D deficiency could affect the mental health and contribute to conditions like schizophrenia, depression, and seasonal affective disorder in adults. Additionally, low levels of this vitamin can lead to various health issues, such as reduced bone density, weakened bones, cardiovascular disease, Rickets in children, and cancer.
Link Between Vitamin D and Depression
Studies have shown that many people with depression also have vitamin D deficiency, which means these two factors may be related. Some studies suggested that low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy is also linked to postpartum depression, a type of depression that happens days, weeks, and months after giving birth.
Researchers also discovered associations between vitamin D deficieny and depression among people with gout, chronic spinal cord injuries, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.
Furthermore, there are small studies that showed various groups of people experience improvement in their mood after taking vitamin D supplements, although its health benefits are not completely understood yet.
On the other hand, based on high quality study, 18,000 participants who had depression and were instructed to take 2,000 IU of vitamin D every day for five years did not show any significant difference in depression scores compared to the placebo group. This could mean that vitamin D does not affect depression.
Since results of different studies greatly vary, experts recommend more research to determine how vitamin D deficiency may be linked to depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. More so, more studies are needed to know how taking vitamin D supplements might affect symptoms of depression.
Risk Factors for Vitamin D Deficiency
Some of the common risk factors of vitamin D deficiency include limited sun exposure, age, living farther away from the equator, obesity and lifestyle factors.
Diet is also a risk factor for low levels of vitamin D as there are not many foods naturally rich in this vitamin. People can increase their intake by eating more of salmon, mackerel, other fatty fish, animal fats, fish liver oils, and vitamin D-fortified food products.
Moreover, a study point to having darker skin tone as a risk factor since vitamin D deficiency seems to be more prevalent in Black people than other populations.
RELATED ARTICLE: Too Much Vitamin D? Certain Health Conditions May Arise
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