This blog post will walk you through: vitamin d depression. Don’t worry, we’ve got all the answers about this subject.
Impact Of Vitamin D Deficiency On Mental Health
The body needs Vitamin D at the proper level for it to function as it should. 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. How Vitamin D Deficiency Leads to Mental Health Effects
Low levels of the vitamin may contribute to schizophrenia in adults, depression, and seasonal affective disorder.
Who’S Getting Too Little Vitamin D?
A result of 30 nmol/L (nanomoles per liter) or under is too low, and anything over 125 nmol/L is too high.
Aim for 50 nmol/L or slightly above, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). People who are lactose intolerant (i.e., those who have trouble consuming lactose, a protein found in milk and milk products), may also be less likely to get enough vitamin D, since fortified milk is an important dietary source of it, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 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?
The ODS recommends that adults age 19 to 70 get 15 micrograms (600 International Units, or IU) daily. But before you take anything, be sure to speak with your doctor. 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. “In order for vitamin D to be well absorbed, it needs to be taken with a source of fat,” Moore notes.
When it comes to increasing your time in the sun, the ODS says there’s no clear answer about how to balance exposure with cancer risk but points out that most people don’t need much sunlight exposure to make enough vitamin D. And while sunscreen is essential in helping prevent skin cancer, keep in mind that it also blocks some of the sun’s UVB rays, which your body needs to make vitamin.
Vitamin D And Depression
Particularly, a number of studies have suggested that low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are connected to postpartum depression — a type of depression that happens in the days, weeks, and months after a person gives birth Some small, high quality studies have noted that various groups of people experience improvements in symptoms of depression after they start taking vitamin D supplements However, this potential benefit isn’t completely clear. A large, high quality study in more than 18,000 people with depression found that taking 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D for 5 years did not lead to any significant differences in depression scores compared with taking a placebo Summary Many people who have depression may also have low circulating levels of vitamin D in their blood.
However, research findings on this potential link are mixed.
Vitamin D Deficiency And Depression
with an increased risk for depression. Low levels of Vitamin D may contribute to poorly regulated mood and behavior, as a deficiency can impair cognitive function and brain health.
Here’s what you need to know about the relationship between vitamin D and depression. Vitamin D deficiency and depression
A vitamin D deficiency may contribute to depression. For example, one review of 13 studies with over 31,000 participants found that those with a vitamin D deficiency had an increased risk for depression, when compared to those with higher levels of Vitamin D.
“Low levels of vitamin D are associated with both major and minor depression, as well as mood disorders and faster cognitive decline,” says Robin Foroutan, MS, RDN, HHC, integrative medicine dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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. For reference, a serving of salmon contains roughly 400 IU.
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.