Vitamin D and depression
KATHARINA M. LANGE¹, JOACHIM HAUSER², IVO KAUNZINGER², EWELINA MAKULSKA-GERTRUDA², YUKIKO NAKAMURA², ANDREAS REISSMANN², KLAUS W. LANGE²*
*Corresponding author
1. Department of Psychology, Southern Oregon University, Ashland OR, USA
2. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Germany
KEYWORDS: Vitamin D, depression, mood, treatment.
ABSTRACT: Vitamin D has been proposed to be involved in various functions of the central nervous system and vitamin D deficiency has been associated with a number of psychiatric conditions. The present short review provides an overview of the potential role of vitamin D in the etiology and therapy of depression. Recent meta-analyses have indicated an inverse association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and the risk of depression, i.e. low vitamin D concentrations are associated with depression while higher serum 25(OH)D levels appear to protect against depression. Randomized controlled trials are needed in order to determine whether this association is causal and to assess the effects of vitamin D administration in the prevention and treatment of depression. Due to methodological problems of the available studies there is at present no clear evidence of an association between vitamin D status and depression.
INTRODUCTION Vitamin D comprises a group of fat-soluble secostero ...
