Adults who take vitamin D supplements had less depressed symptoms

In international team of experts’ meta-analysis reveals that vitamin D supplementation may lessen depressive symptoms in adults with depression.

Globally, depressive symptoms contribute significantly to illness burden. Current antidepressants frequently have insufficient therapeutic efficacy, which is why additional approaches to reducing the symptoms of depression have been pursued, such as through nutritional studies. The journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition published the study’s findings.

It is thought that vitamin D controls central nervous system processes, whose abnormalities have been linked to depression. Additionally, depression symptoms and vitamin D insufficiency have been linked in cross-sectional research.

But prior meta-analyses on the connection between vitamin D supplementation and depression have come up empty. Results from numerous studies are combined and statistically analysed in a meta-analysis.

The latest meta-analysis on the link between vitamin D supplementation and depression is the largest one to date and incorporates data from 41 international research. These studies used randomised placebo-controlled trials in various groups to examine the effectiveness of vitamin D in reducing depression symptoms in adults. The research covered those conducted on depressed patients, the general public, and individuals with different physical conditions. The meta-findings analysis’s demonstrate that supplementing with vitamin D reduces depressive symptoms in depressed individuals more effectively than a placebo.

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Although the vitamin D levels utilised varied greatly, they were frequently between 50 and 100 micrograms per day.

According to lead author and doctoral researcher Tuomas Mikola of the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Eastern Finland, “despite the broad scope of this meta-analysis, the certainty of evidence remains low due to the heterogeneity of the populations studied and the due to the risk of bias associated with a large number of studies.” Mikola’s PhD thesis includes a meta-analysis.
In order to learn more about the potential function of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of depression, Mikola says that these findings “will motivate future, high-level clinical trials in patients with depression.”