A meta-analysis conducted by an international team of researchers suggests that vitamin D supplementation may alleviate depressive symptoms in depressed adults.
Depressive symptoms contribute to a significant burden of disease worldwide. Because the therapeutic effects of current antidepressants are often inadequate, nutritional research, for example, calls for additional ways to reduce the symptoms of depression.
The findings were published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
Vitamin D is thought to regulate central nervous system function, and disorders thereof have been associated with depression. Additionally, cross-sectional studies have observed an association between depressive symptoms and vitamin D deficiency. However, previous meta-analyses of the effects of vitamin D supplementation on depression have been inconclusive. In meta-analyses, results from several different studies are combined and analyzed statistically.
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The new meta-analysis of the association between vitamin D supplementation and depression is the largest ever published and includes results from 41 studies from around the world. These studies investigated the efficacy of vitamin D in alleviating depressive symptoms in adults through randomized, placebo-controlled trials in various populations. Studies included those conducted in depressed patients, the general population, and people with various physical conditions. Results of a meta-analysis show that vitamin D supplementation is more effective than placebo in alleviating depressive symptoms in people with depression. However, vitamin D supplements were typically 50 to 100 micrograms per day.
“Despite the wide scope of this meta-analysis, the certainty of the evidence remains low because of the heterogeneity of the populations studied and the risk of bias associated with the large number of studies,” said a postdoctoral fellow. Lead author Tuomas Mikola, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, said: The meta-analysis is part of Mikola’s doctoral dissertation.
“These findings will prompt new high-level clinical trials in depressed patients to further clarify the potential role of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of depression.
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