Vitamin D has been hailed as a treatment for depression, and supplements are thought to help in preventing many diseases and medical conditions such as heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and bone fractures.
However, a new study suggests that vitamin D supplements might not be the miracle pills they are hyped up to be.
Jonathan Shaffer, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center is the lead researcher on the study published in Psychosomatic Medicine. Researchers reviewed seven trials comparing the effects of using/not using vitamin D supplements as a treatment for people with depression, according to a Medical Xpress article.
It was found that most trials had “methodological” limitations, and most used participants who didn’t suffer from “clinically significant depression.” The reduction of depressive symptoms was minimal in all studies reviewed as well.
However, researchers believe that vitamin D supplements could still potentially help people suffering from “clinically significant depression,” but better trials need to be conducted. The dose and form of vitamin D supplements should also be reviewed in future studies.
People who are actually deficient in vitamin D might have the best results after taking a supplement, and others without a deficiency might not benefit at all from supplementation, researchers added.
So what about the plethora of studies linking vitamin D deficiency to depression, and all of the studies suggesting vitamin D improves many health conditions?
For example, a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2012 found a link between low vitamin D levels and depression. However, the study did not conclude that increasing vitamin D intake would reduce symptoms of depression, according to an article on ScienceDaily.com.
Dr. Carolyn Dean, a medical advisory board member of the non-profit Nutritional Magnesium Association, believes there could be limitations in current vitamin D studies.
She said in an email that researchers need to be careful not to only focus on vitamin D intake in these types of studies, since other nutrients like the mineral magnesium can have a major impact on whether vitamin D is absorbed and processed correctly.
If there are other nutritional deficiencies beside vitamin D deficiency, they could also be a factor in depressive symptoms, and study results could be impacted because of those other deficiencies.
She added that vitamin D absorption could be impacted by other factors, such as the health of the intestines in patients, parathyroid hormones, water absorption rates if the supplements are water soluble, and the intake of other medications and supplements.
Despite the study stating that vitamin D does not appear to be an effective treatment for depression, she believes vitamin D could still benefit people with depressions that is assessed as not clinically significant.
“Research does seem to show a link between low levels of vitamin D in the blood and symptoms of depression,” Dean said. “However, research hasn’t yet shown clearly whether low vitamin D levels cause depression, or whether low vitamin D levels develop because someone is depressed.”
She said other studies have found vitamin D receptors in the brain, which explains why vitamin D may impact mental health. She added that some researchers believe vitamin D can play a role in boosting serotonin, and magnesium could also play a role because it helps with serotonin function and production.
Do you take vitamin D supplements? Do you think it has helped your mental health? If you suffer from depression, have you taken vitamin D supplements and have they helped reduce your symptoms?
Please share in the comments below.
Sources:
Psychosomatic Medicine. Shaffer, Jonathan, et al. Vitamin D Supplementation for Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Web. March 26, 2014.
http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/early/2014/03/10/PSY.0000000000000044.abstract
Medical Xpress. Study finds no evidence that vitamin D supplements reduce depression. Web. March 26, 2014.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-03-evidence-vitamin-d-supplements-depression.html
Harvard School of Public Health. Vitamin D and Health. Web. March 26, 2014.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-d
Dean, Carolyn. Email interview. March 26, 2014.
http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org/about/advisory-board
ScienceDaily. Low vitamin D levels linked to depression, psychiatrists report. Web. March 26, 2014.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105131645.htm
Reviewed March 27, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith