Impact Of Vitamin D Deficiency On Mental Health
The body transports the vitamin to the kidneys and liver, where it converts into an active hormone. In this form, it assists the body in absorbing calcium. Your body acquires vitamin D through sun exposure.
Certain foods and supplements can also be sources of vitamin D. Dark-skinned people have a high level of melanin. It’s the component that determines coloring in the human and animal world. This pigmentation prevents the skin from absorbing vitamin D correctly.
Who’S Getting Too Little Vitamin D?
To find out if you’re low in vitamin D, you’ll need to get a blood test. Some people are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, including those with darker skin. African-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians, and Asian Americans are more likely to be lactose intolerant than people of European descent.
Other groups at higher risk, according to the ODS:
Older adults (As we age, our skin doesn’t synthesize vitamin D as efficiently.). People who are obese (Greater amounts of subcutaneous fat traps vitamin D, possibly interfering with how much of the vitamin can circulate in the body.). Anyone who has difficulty absorbing fat, such as those with inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease or who have had gastric bypass surgery
Individuals Who Do Not Spend Time Outdoors Or Do Not Expose Their Skin
Should You Take A Vitamin D Supplement?
But before you take anything, be sure to speak with your doctor. “I like for people to get a blood test to see where they are before making a recommendation about supplementation,” notes Moore. If you do need extra vitamin D, either D2 or D3 will work, and you may need 1,500 to 2,000 IU daily.
In cases of extreme deficiency, your doctor may give you a vitamin D injection of 50,000 IU once a week for eight weeks to bring your levels up. Start by getting more D from sunlight and fortified foods, such as milk alternatives and cereals, if you can.
Vitamin D Deficiency And Depression
with an increased risk for depression.
While getting more Vitamin D isn’t likely to resolve depression on its own, it might help improve your mood. However, that doesn’t mean getting more Vitamin D alone can prevent or treat depression. Here’s what you need to know about the relationship between vitamin D and depression.
Low Vitamin D levels may impair cognitive function because there are vitamin D receptors in areas of the brain that are responsible for mood and behavior, including the development of depression. The average adult needs around 600 to 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day. You should try to get around 15 minutes of sunlight between 10 a.m. And 3 p.m., three times a week, in order to get enough vitamin D.
Does Getting More Vitamin D Help With Depression?
Improving Vitamin D levels may help promote general health and a stronger sense of well-being. For example, a 2014 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found there was no effect when vitamin D was supplemented at 4,000 IUs in those with depression versus a placebo. “We do not have sufficient evidence to recommend this as a first line treatment for depression,” says Dorothy Sit, MD, a psychiatrist at Northwestern Medicine.
Instead, your doctor will likely recommend a combination of therapy and medication as the first step for treating depression. Taken together with some key lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise and eating healthy, you may be able to reduce depressive symptoms. What foods have vitamin D
Even if Vitamin D won’t fix your depression on its own, it’s still important to incorporate more Vitamin D into your diet if you have a deficiency.
Vitamin D is found in few foods naturally, and in relatively small amounts. The best sources include:
Mushrooms
Egg yolks
Salmon and other fatty fish
Some foods are also fortified with vitamin D, meaning that more is added in.