Vitamin Linked to Improved Mood and Well Being

By CP Staff

A recently published study investigated whether a particular vitamin deficiency is related to depression in older adults. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), mood disorders affect approximately 9.5 percent of American adults, including 14.8 million adults with Major Depressive Disorder and another 3.3 million adults with Dysthymic Disorder, a type of chronic mild depression.

In this new study, researchers evaluated the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the development of depression. The subjects included 531 women and 423 men 65 years of age and older. The subjects were evaluated for serum vitamin D levels (25(OH)D) at the beginning of the study. The subjects were also assessed for depressive symptoms at the beginning of the study, after 3 years, and at 6 years, using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Depression was defined as a CES-D score of 16 or greater.

The results showed that in both women and men, serum vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/liter was associated with higher CES-D scores and a significantly higher risk of developing depression over the 6-year follow-up. In women, the risk of developing depression in the subjects with low serum vitamin D was increased by two-fold compared to the subjects with higher serum vitamin D concentrations. In men, the association was slightly less, showing a 1.6-fold increase in risk of depression.

The researchers concluded, “Our findings suggest that hypovitaminosis D is a risk factor for the development of depressive symptoms in older persons. The strength of the prospective association is higher in women than in men. Understanding the potential causal pathway between Vitamin D deficiency and depression requires further research.”

Reference:

Milaneschi Y, Shardell M, Corsi AM, Vazzana R, Bandinelli S, Guralnik JM, Ferrucci L. Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Depressive Symptoms in Older Women and Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 May 5. Published Online Ahead of Print.