Vitamin D might help fight symptoms of depression

People experiencing the blues, feelings of depression and other mood disorders might be able to use vitamin D to alleviate symptoms of depression. New studies point to low blood levels of vitamin D as a culprit in depression. Simply increasing these levels offers marked improvement.

A study conducted by VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam found that low levels of vitamin D may be linked to depression and other psychiatric illnesses. The Amsterdam research, which tracked over 1,200 people aged 65 to 95, showed that blood vitamin D levels were 14 percent lower in individuals with major and minor depression compared with non-depressed participants. A study in the United States indicated that vitamin D deficiency occurred more often in certain people, including African-Americans, city dwellers, the obese, and those suffering from depression. People with vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL had an 85 percent increased risk of depression compared to those with vitamin D levels greater than 30 ng/mL.

Vitamin D has long been recognized as a nutrient essential to the development and maintenance of strong bones. It has also recently been discovered to be of crucial importance to several aspects of overall health. Being deficient in vitamin D has been linked to a number of disorders, including cancer, autoimmune disease, diabetes, and now depression.

Vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin,”