Mental Health and Vitamin D

TL;DR

Low vitamin D levels are often found in people with depression
Some studies show supplementation can modestly improve symptoms
Results are mixed, especially when vitamin D levels are already normal
Vitamin D treats deficiency—not depression itself
Testing vitamin D levels may be more useful than supplementing blindly

There has been some debate about the value of vitamin D supplementation for the treatment of depression. The idea is supported by some studies, but not all. An early study, appearing in the The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 202 , Issue 2 , February 2013 , pp. 100 – 107. found that depression may be linked to low levels of vitamin D. The authors of one review article came to the conclusion, “Serum vitamin D levels inversely correlate with clinical depression, but the evidence is not strong enough to recommend universal supplementation in depression [1].”

A more recent meta-analysis found that vitamin D supplementation could provide a moderate but statistically significant improvement in depressive symptoms [2]. Other studies had varying results. One meta-analysis did not see a significant reduction of depressive symptoms with vitamin D supplementation, but did acknowledge that most of the studies focused on individuals with low levels of depression and sufficient serum vitamin D at baseline [4]. Authors of another study stated, “Vitamin D supplementation may be effective for reducing depressive symptoms in patients with clinically significant depression; however, further high-quality research is needed [3].”

Let’s Inject a Little Common Sense

Vitamin D does not treat depression; it treats a vitamin D deficiency. Inadequate vitamin D levels can cause inflammation [click to learn more]. The article is about the immune system, but inflammation is also stongly linked to depression [click to learn more]. The bottom line is that if depression is an issue, you may consider testing vitamin D levels. Inflammation has a strong effect on mental health.