Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Associated with Measures of Mental Health in Young Adults

by | Aug 26, 2020 | Brain Health, Depression, Stress, Vitamin D - Mental Health

Written by Angeline A. De Leon. In young American adults, serum vitamin D levels were inversely associated with measures of depression, anxiety, perceived stress and hostility.

vitamin DQuality of life is largely related to mental health 1. Poor mental hygiene not only affects subjective well-being, but can also compromise physical health by increasing risk of illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease 2. Findings show that higher levels of stress can negatively impact immunity 3, while anxiety and feelings of hostility have been linked to poor metabolic health 4. Plasma levels of vitamin D may be involved in emotional functioning, with circulating levels of vitamin D being inversely linked to depression 5. In animal studies, for example, vitamin D receptor knockout mice appear to demonstrate increased tendency of depressive behaviors 6. The relationship between vitamin D levels and anxiety has been relatively less studied, but evidence suggests that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations may be negatively associated with perceived stress 7. Higher levels of oxidative stress have been implicated in both anxiety and depression 8, and it is hypothesized that vitamin D can help regulate emotional functioning by attenuating systemic inflammation 9. Given that the majority of studies exploring the relationship between vitamin D levels and mental health have involved middle-aged and older adults, a recent study 10 in Nutrients investigated the association between 25(OH)D concentrations and mental health in young adults.

A total of 327 black and white individuals (mean age = 28.2 +/- 3.1 years, 48% male, 53% black) were enrolled in a cross-sectional study in which they provided fasting blood samples to determine serum 25(OH)D concentrations. Subjects also completed a number of mental health questionnaires to evaluate emotional functioning, including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (CMHS), and Hollingshead Four-Factor Social Status Index.

Across all participants, mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was found to be 59.2 +/- 26.1 nmol/L. Inverse associations were also observed between vitamin D levels and mental health measurements such that higher concentrations of serum 25(OH)D appeared to be significantly related to lower scores on the BDI (p = 0.018), STAI (p = 0.005), PSS (p = 0.004), and total CMHS score (p = 0.002), as well as three subscales of the CMHS (cynicism, p < 0.001; hostile affect, p = 0.022; and hostile attribution, p = 0.005). Stratified analyses looking at sex differences showed that serum 25(OH)D concentrations remained negatively associated with BDI, STAI, PSS, and CMHS in women (p < 0.05 for all), but not men. Stratified analyses looking at racial differences also revealed that higher serum 25(OH)D levels were associated with lower scores on the BDI, STAI, PSS, and cynicism subscale of the CMHS among white participants (p < 0.05 for all), while for black participants, serum 25(OH)D concentrations were inversely associated only with CMHS (and most of its subscales) (p < 0.05 for all).

In line with previous evidence, results from the current study underscore the relationship between serum levels of 25(OH)D and various domains of mental health, suggesting a negative overall association between vitamin D levels and depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and measures of hostility. Moreover, current findings provide new evidence pointing to sex- and race-based differences in the relationship between serum 25(OH)D and measures of mental health. Additional research is needed to explore these differences and to test the efficacy of a vitamin D supplement-based intervention in improving emotional functioning in young adults in general. Further investigation is also warranted regarding the relationship between serum 25(OH)D levels and measures of hostility. Study limitations pertain to the observational nature of the current study, which precludes determination of a causal relationship, and the failure to account for potential confounding variables, including smoking and physical activity.

Source: Chen L, Zhu H, Harshfield G, et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with mental health and psychosocial stress in young adults. Nutrients. 2020; 12: 1938. DOI: 10.3390/nu12071938.

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open accessarticle distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted August 26, 2020.

Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity.

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