Vitamin D and mental health

Vitamin D: Essential Functions in the Body
The Vitamin D connection: Exploring its impact on mood and mental health
Vitamin D deficiency linked to depression and anxiety
Science explains the link between vitamin D and mental health
Conclusion
References
References

Vitamin D is essential for maintaining many aspects of physical health, and more recently its role in mental health has been implicated, although research in this area is still ongoing.

Here we explore the links between vitamin D and mental health, specifically the links between vitamin D deficiency and depression, vitamin D and cognitive function, and the potential benefits of vitamin D for mental health.

Vitamin D: Essential Functions in the Body

Vitamin D is important for many bodily functions, including calcium absorption, bone health, immune function, muscle function, regulation of cell growth, glucose metabolism, and it also has anti-inflammatory properties.¹

^{Some foods, such as oily fish (such as tuna and mackerel), egg yolks, cheese, and mushrooms, are sources of vitamin D. Vitamin D is also produced in the skin through exposure to sunlight.1}

A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to a variety of health problems, including rickets in children and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults. Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to an increased risk of autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.¹ Additionally, recent studies have revealed a possible link between vitamin D and mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.^2,3

The Vitamin D connection: Exploring its impact on mood and mental health

In recent years, various studies have found evidence supporting a role for vitamin D in mental health. Specifically, it has been suggested that a deficiency in vitamin D may contribute to symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, not all studies that have looked into this relationship have found evidence to support this association.

Several studies have found it to be highly important in preventing mood disorders (such as depression and anxiety) due to its antioxidant properties and effects on brain tissue (especially areas related to depression and anxiety).^2,3 For this reason, some researchers suggest that vitamin D screening should be performed to prevent and/or treat these diseases.²

Vitamin D deficiency linked to depression and anxiety

Research has linked vitamin D deficiency to a variety of mental health issues. It is not surprising, therefore, that there are many overlaps between symptoms of vitamin D deficiency and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include fatigue, mood changes, increased sensitivity to pain, muscle weakness, cognitive impairment (such as episodic memory impairment and impaired executive function), overwhelming feelings of hopelessness or sadness, loss of interest in activities that were previously a source of pleasure, weight loss or gain, loss of appetite, and anxiety.

Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency include low exposure to sunlight, older age, high melanin (darker skin), obesity, and malabsorption syndromes. People with these risk factors are more likely to have low vitamin D levels. Lifestyle changes, such as increasing exposure to sunlight and including foods rich in vitamin D in your diet, can help reduce these risks. However, more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between vitamin D deficiency risk and mental health.

Science explains the link between vitamin D and mental health

A 2017 study reviewing recently published literature investigating the link between vitamin D deficiency and depression concluded that there is sufficient evidence to support a link between vitamin D deficiency and depression.^Four Additionally, the study suggests that for people who suffer from both depression and vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplementation may be an effective treatment.^Four

Another recent review study came to a similar conclusion that vitamin D levels are inversely correlated with clinical depression.^Five However, the study concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of vitamin D supplements as a universal treatment for depression.^Five

A 2020 study reported that vitamin D supplementation may help improve anxiety symptoms.⁶

Additionally, many studies have reported decreased vitamin D levels in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and in healthy adults with cognitive impairment, suggesting a relationship between vitamin D and cognitive function.

Further research is needed in this area to fully understand the link between vitamin D and mental health and to establish how vitamin D supplements can be used to treat and prevent mental health issues.

Conclusion

Overall, numerous studies have found an association between vitamin D deficiency and mental health problems. Although more research is needed to fully understand the nature of this relationship, this evidence suggests that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels is not only beneficial for physical health, but may also be beneficial for mental health.

Recent studies have revealed that public knowledge about vitamin D and its deficiency is poor. In a recent survey, the majority of people (83%) did not know that sunlight is a source of vitamin D, and less than 1% knew that certain foods are sources of vitamin D.⁸ Therefore, there is a need to increase public awareness about the role vitamin D plays in overall health.

References

1. Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Health Professionals [online]National Institutes of Health. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/.
2. Akpinar, S. Karadag, M. G. (2022). ‘Is Vitamin D Important for Anxiety and Depression? What’s the Truth?‘, Latest Nutrition Report11(4), pp. 675–681. doi:10.1007/s13668-022-00441-0.
3. Anglin, R.E. etc (2013) ‘Vitamin D deficiency and depression in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis‘, British Journal of Psychiatry202(2), pp. 100–107. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.111.106666.
4. Parker, G. B., Brochey, H., & Graham, R. K. (2017). ‘Vitamin D and Depression‘, Journal of Affective Disorders208, pp. 56–61. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.082.
5. Menon, V. etc (2020) ‘Vitamin D and depression: a critical appraisal of the evidence and future directions‘, Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine42(1), pp. 11–21. doi:10.4103/ijpsym.ijpsym_160_19.
6. Zhu, C. etc (2020) ‘Vitamin D supplementation improves anxiety but not depression symptoms in patients with vitamin D deficiency‘, Brain and Behavior10(11). doi:10.1002/brb3.1760.
7. Sultan, S. etc (2020) ‘Vitamin D deficiency linked to cognitive impairment and dementia‘, Journal of Aging Research2020, pp. 1–10. doi:10.1155/2020/6097820.
8. Alcarash, S.H. etc (2023) ‘Public knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding vitamin D deficiency in Al Qunhuda Governorate, Saudi Arabia‘, Cureus [Preprint]. doi:10.7759/cureus.33756.

References