Higher vitamin D levels linked to improved mental health

Key takeaways:

• Higher levels of vitamin D were associated with improved physical functioning and depressive symptoms.
• PCPs should encourage consumption of foods with vitamin D when indicated, one researcher said.

CHICAGO — Vitamin D levels may be associated with mental health — particularly, depressive symptoms, according to research presented at the annual NUTRITION meeting.

“We know that vitamin D is an essential nutrient for the body,” Jacqueline A. Vernarelli, PhD, the director of research education and an associate professor at Sacred Heart University, told Healio. “Vitamin D deficiency is related to heart disease, poor bone health, and certain types of cancers. There have been some studies that have looked at the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and mental health, but none using a large population sample.”

Vernarelli and research partner Kayla D. Champagne, MPH, analyzed data from 4,641 adults who participated in the 2017-2018 NHANES survey to assess possible connections. Depression was evaluated with the PHQ-9 questionnaire, and serum vitamin D levels were presented as 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 + D3 (nmol/L).

“We found that the amount of vitamin D in your blood was related to mental health and physical functioning,” Vernarelli said. “Adults with lower levels of vitamin D had more depressive symptoms. Further, adults with depression had significantly lower intake of vitamin D than adults without depression.”

In addition, higher serum vitamin D levels were connected to improved physical functioning. The researchers also noted that patients who had clinical depression also had significantly lower vitamin D intake from food sources (4.3 vs. 3.3 µg; P = .004). Therefore, they wrote that public health messaging encouraging consumption of foods rich in vitamin D could be an important dietary strategy to support mental health.

Since “vitamin D is related to mental health,” Vernarelli said primary care providers should “consider testing for vitamin D status as an important part of the whole-health evaluation of patients.”

“PCPs should encourage consumption of food fortified with vitamin D or supplementation when indicated,” she said. “Having enough vitamin D in the bloodstream is important for helping the body function properly — this includes physical and mental health.”