What is the connection between vitamin D and depression? According to chief physician Catri Tegtmeier, this is not an easy question to answer. You can find an assessment here.
Vitamin D is one of the fat-soluble vitamins and can be stored by the body. It will be the only one vitamin produced using the sun’s rays. According to the German Nutrition Society, the body needs around 20 micrograms a day – assuming you haven’t been in the sun long enough.
Vitamin D is needed for a number of processes in the body – including healthy bones, teeth and a good immune system. But what about the psyche? Can taking vitamin D possibly even prevent depression or alleviate symptoms? According to chief physician Catri Tegtmeier, the question is not that easy to answer.
Vitamin D and depression: Are there connections?
The connection between depression and vitamin D has already been examined in several studies. 2020 has an Indian research team research results The connection between vitamin D and depression has been examined and summarized in databases such as PubMed or the Cochrane Library. The team examined a total of 61 publications and came to the conclusion that vitamin D deficiency is often found in patients with depression.
However, the data does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the exact connections. Due to the lack of evidence, treatment with vitamin D for depression cannot be universally recommended, according to the Indian research team’s evaluation. Nevertheless, according to the German Medical Journal, studies indicate that people with a vitamin D deficiency have an increased risk of developing depression.
Can vitamin D prevent depression?
How exactly vitamin D and depression are related is still being researched. “The connection between nutrient deficiencies and depressive illnesses has not yet been conclusively clarified,” says Catri Tegtmeier, chief physician in the psychosomatics/psychotherapy and trauma therapy department Wicker Clinic in Bad Wildungen.
Although a link has been found between people with vitamin D deficiency and depression, vitamin D supplementation could, according to one Study by an American research team do not prevent the occurrence of depressive disorders. 18,353 adults aged 50 and over were examined. The majority, 16,657, had never suffered from depression before, 1,696 had already suffered from depression but had not been treated in the past two years, according to the study’s methodology. It lasted more than five years.
According to the American researchers, administration of vitamin D did not lead to higher mood scores or a lower incidence of clinically relevant depressive symptoms compared to the placebo group. 2000 IU of vitamin D was given daily. According to the German Medical Journal, it is unlikely that a “similarly large study on people with proven vitamin D deficiency will be repeated in the coming years.”
Important for the assessment: only 11.6 percent of the participants actually had a vitamin D deficiency or values below 20 ng/ml. According to the Robert Koch Institute, a sufficient vitamin D supply is achieved at levels between 20 ng/ml and 50 ng/ml in the blood.
Can vitamin D help with depression?
According to Catri Tegtmeier, with a vitamin D level above 30 ng/ml, “taking vitamin D is not expected to have a significant effect on mood.” The study therefore led to discussions among international vitamin D experts. According to Catri Tegtmeier, a study in which patients actually have a severe deficiency would be interesting. But that is difficult to achieve: “Conducting a study in which one group receives a substitution in the event of a severe deficiency and another group does not is hardly feasible from an ethical point of view,” says the expert. The defect should be remedied promptly.
Catri Tegtmeier reports that patients with depression who have a severe vitamin D deficiency also report an improvement in symptoms when this is treated. “Of course, this is not the only treatment for depression. But I see it as a supportive measure as part of a holistic therapeutic approach,” says the chief physician.
Vitamin D against depression: The deficiency is compensated for in the clinic
According to Catri Tegtmeier, the vitamin D level is determined in all patients who are treated at the Wicker Clinic for depression, among other things. “The majority have a deficiency. The lowest values were found in March: 46 percent had a severe deficiency and 27 percent had a significant deficiency, 13 percent of the values were in the suboptimal range and only 14 percent were in the optimal range,” said the head doctor.
Vitamin D has a high protective function for the nerve cells in the brain, which is why, according to the chief doctor, a deficiency can lead to a decrease in intellectual performance. “In addition, it influences the formation of the messenger substances dopamine and serotonin, which are responsible, among other things, for a good mood and mental strength,” says Catri Tegtmeier. The sleep-wake rhythm is also influenced by vitamin D. This can potentially alleviate one of the most common symptoms of depression: difficulty sleeping. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to understand the connection between vitamin D and depression in more detail.