Do you think Vitamin D improves your mood? Science does not support it as of this week.
Vitamin D, also known as a sunshine supplement, doesn’t prevent depression in middle-aged and older adults, according to a study from Massachusetts General Hospital published Tuesday. This was one of the first studies large enough to show whether supplementation with vitamin D could prevent depression in the general adult population.
The survey included more than 18,000 men and women over the age of 50. Half of the participants received vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplementation for an average of 5 years, and the other half received the corresponding placebo for the same period. Press release..
“There were no significant benefits from supplements for this purpose. We couldn’t prevent depression or improve mood.” Olivia I. Okereke, MGH Psychiatrist, lead author ,Recently No. 3 in specialized fields nationwide, Mentioned in the release.
Vitamin D is called the “sunshine vitamin” because it is naturally produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight. Many past studies have shown that low blood levels of vitamin D increase the risk of depression later in life, but few large trials have identified the cause. About 20,000 Okereke said the survey is “statistically working” to answer questions and the results are clear.
Among participants, researchers found that there was no significant difference in the risk of depression between those taking vitamin D and those receiving placebo, and their mood scores were significantly different over time. I discovered that I did not.
The study, published in the medical journal JAMA, was part of a larger study examining cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention in approximately 26,000 people in the United States. From that group, Okereke and her colleagues first studied 18,353 adults who had no signs of clinical depression.
Still, Okereke does not recommend discarding your Vitamin D supplements yet. “Not without the advice of a doctor,” she said. Some people take vitamins for reasons other than raising their mood.
“Vitamin D is known to be essential for bone and metabolic health, but randomized trials question many other putative benefits.”
Other authors of this study include psychiatric researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and researchers at the VA Boston Healthcare System.
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