Low Vitamin D and Depression – the Leading Cause of Disability Worldwide, according to WHO.

Total Health | May 17th, 2010

Both men and women over the age of 65 have increased risk of depressive symptoms is they have low Vitamin D levels, with the association stronger in women than men. “Understanding the potential causal pathway between vitamin D deficiency and depressionFeelings of sadness, hopelessness and a loss of interest in life, combined with a sense of reduced emotional well-being requires further research,” wrote the researchers. The World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts that within 20 years more people will be affected by depression than any other health problem; it ranks depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide, with around 120 million people affected.

This is not the first time that vitamin D has been linked to symptoms of depression. Dutch scientists reported in 2008 in the Archives of General Psychiatry that low levels of the vitamin and higher bloodA fluid that transports oxygen and other substances through the body, made up of blood cells suspended in a liquid. levels of the parathyroid hormoneA substance produced by a gland in one part of the body and carried by the blood to the organs or tissues where it has an effect. (PTHparathyroid hormone) were associated with higher rates of depression among 1,282 community residents aged between 65 and 95. A review by Bruce Ames and Joyce McCann from the Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland highlighted the role of the vitamin in maintaining brain health, noting the wide distribution of vitamin D receptors throughout the brain.

According to the review (FASEB Journal, Vol.22, pp. 982-1001), the vitamin has been reported to affect proteins in the brain known to be directly involved in learning and memory, motorRelating to the part of the nervous system that carries information from the brain and spinal cord to cause activity in a muscle or gland. control, and possibly even maternal and social behaviour. Depression in the elderly is highly prevalent and can increase the risk of medical illnesses, worsen the outcome of other medical illnesses, and may increase mortality.

People with darker skins living at more northerly latitudes are particularly at risk of low vitamin D, and should get their levels tested according to laboratory expert John Christophides.

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Expert articles

Health implications for moving North… do you need more sunshine?

By Mr John Christofides, Principal Clinical ScientistContact
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

Vitamin D status in Europe shows surprisingly wide variation; for example the 1997 SUVIMAX study in French adult men and women aged 35-65 years showed an average of 43nmol/L in the North, which is classified as insufficient by modern standards, and 94 nmol/L in the South West of France, (classified optimal by modern standards as it was >80nmol/L). This is as might be expected with the known variation of vitaminEssential substances that cannot be produced by the body and so must be acquired from the diet. D status against latitude. In contrast the 1995 Euronaut-Seneca study on independent elderly people showed a greater vitamin D level in the North of Europe compared to southern Europe, however, both latitudes were classified sub optimal by modern standards and may have simply reflected the generally poor Vitamin D status of elderly house-bound people irrespective of latitude. 

Vitamin D promotes good health and it’s free

By Mr John Christofides, Principal Clinical ScientistContact
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

This article reviews the prevalence of chronicA disease of long duration generally involving slow changes. vitaminEssential substances that cannot be produced by the body and so must be acquired from the diet. D deficiency in the UK population and the growing interest in its protective effects against various diseases. The UK government policy of sun avoidance claims to have slowed down the increase in melanomaA malignant tumour arising from pigmented cells or melanocytes, most often in the skin but has had a deleterious effect on the simple and natural means of skin production of vitamin D. The review shows that an alternative to oral supplementation is sensible sun exposure, taking care not to burn, is all that is required to maintain adequate bloodA fluid that transports oxygen and other substances through the body, made up of blood cells suspended in a liquid. levels and avoid the winter drop in vitamin D. The elderly and immobile in particular should be targeted for vitamin D blood screeningA way to identify people who may have a certain condition, among a group of people who may or may not seem to and appropriate oral supplementation.

If you are worried about your vitamin status order a lab request.

Vitamin D: Essential Intake

By Dr Nigel Plummer, Microbiologist

A surge of new scientific studies have provided unchallenged evidence of the profound effects that vitaminEssential substances that cannot be produced by the body and so must be acquired from the diet. D has on a whole range of chronicA disease of long duration generally involving slow changes. diseases. Moreover, this research also indicates that the general population is chronically deficient in Vitamin D and that recommended intakes have been woefully inadequate to provide optimum status.

Evaluation of all types of epidemiological and intervention-based studies now provides unequivocal evidence for the role of vitamin D in helping to lower the risk of developing virtually all types of chronic disease. 

Recent news

Get yourself a health buddy

Total Health | February 23rd, 2012

Buddy, a digital app for mental health service users, is being rolled across the UK from today following a successful London-based trial. The smartphone app sends text messages and helps patients with anxiety, depressionFeelings of sadness, hopelessness and a loss of interest in life, combined with a sense of reduced emotional well-being and other mental illnesses to keep a diary of how they are feeling and what they are doing allowing them to pinpoint which behaviours are positive and could help in their journey to recovery.

Rates of vitamin D deficiency on the rise

Total Health | January 25th, 2012

Thanks to the Clean Air Act of 1956 and the availability of supplements such as cod liverA large abdominal organ that has many important roles including the production of bile and clotting factors, detoxification, and the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. oil, rates of ricketsA disease caused by nutritional deficiency that causes bone deformities in childhood. The most common cause is vitamin D deficiency. began to decline in the UK from the 1950s but doctors are now finding that this trend has stopped. Dr Benjamin Jacobs, a Consultant at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, has informed the BBC that severe cases of rickets are treated at the hospital approximately once a month.

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