Study Finds Vitamin D Blood Levels May Influence Mental Health

by | Dec 9, 2010 | 2010, Brain Health, Depression, Vitamin D - Mental Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Likelihood of having depression in persons with vitamin D deficiency is 85% higher compared to those with vitamin D sufficiency, a new study reveals. 

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 1 in 4 Americans 18 and older (26.2%) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder each year. Included in these mental disorders is depression, with Major Depressive Disorder recognized as the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44. It affects nearly 15 million Americans, can develop at any age, and affects women more than men (1). Depression is estimated to cost our healthcare system more than $65 billion each year (2).

A new study (3 has found that low vitamin D levels may also influence mental health.  In the study, researchers analyzed data on 7, 970 non-institutionalized U.S. citizens aged 15 to 39 who participated in the NHANES II study (4). In addition to providing blood samples during the study, patients also completed the Diagnostic Interview Study (5) to assess for Depression.

They found that those with vitamin D blood levels 50 nanomoles/Liter or less had  85% more episodes of depression compared to those with vitamin D blood levels of at least 75 nmol/L. They also found specific demographics of people to be at particularly high risk of having low vitamin D levels. These included women, non-Hispanic blacks, persons living below poverty, persons who did not consume supplements, persons living in South and West regions and in urban areas, persons with higher BMI (greater than 25 kg/m2).

When suggesting a mechanism explaining how vitamin D can help with mental health, the researchers cited research showing that vitamin D is involved in brain development (6), affects the production of the brain chemicals  norepinephrine and dopamine (7), which are involved in mood regulation and depression. Vitamin D also has been shown to help regulate calcium levels, which have an indirect role in the regulation of neurotransmission.

For the researchers, “likelihood of having depression in persons with vitamin D deficiency [less than 50 nmol/L] is significantly higher compared to those with vitamin D sufficiency [greater than 75 nmol/L.”

Source: Ganji, Vijay, et al. “Serum vitamin D concentrations are related to depression in young adult US population: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.” International Archives of Medicine 3.1 (2010): 29.

© 2010 Ganji et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd Creative Commons

Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Posted December 9, 2010.

References:

  1. “The Numbers Count: Mental Disorder in America” – see the National Institute of Mental Health website.
  2. Berto P.  Depression: Cost-of-illness Studies in the International Literature, a Review.The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics J. Mental Health Policy Econ. 3, 3–10 (2000).
  3. Serum vitamin D concentrations are related to depression in young adult US population: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. International Archives of Medicine 2010, 3:29 doi:10.1186/1755-7682-3-29.
  4. National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Plan and operation of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. See th Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
  5. National Institute of Mental Health website.
  6. Almeras L. Developmental vitamin D deficiency alters brain protein expression in the adult rat: implications for neuropsychiatric disorders.Proteomics 2007, 7:769-780.
  7. Newmark H, Newmark J. Vitamin D and Parkinson’s disease-A hypothesis.Movement Disorder Society 2007, 22:461-468.