SAD and Depression prevented and treated by Vitamins D, B, and C - June 2024

---

The Role of Water-Soluble Vitamins and Vitamin D in Prevention and Treatment of Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder in Adults

Nutrients 2024, 16(12), 1902; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16121902
by Alireza Jahan-Mihan *,Priscilla Stevens,Saily Medero-Alfonso,Georgina Brace,Laurel Kate Overby,Kristin Berg ORCID and Corinne Labyak ORCID
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Dr., Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA

Portion of Table of Contents

Compare SAD and Depression

Depression is a major global health concern expected to worsen by 2030. In 2019, 28 million individuals were affected by depressive disorders. Dietary and supplemental vitamins show overall favorable preventative and therapeutic effects on depression. B vitamins are crucial for neurological function and mood regulation. Deficiencies in these vitamins are linked to depression. Studies on individual B vitamins show promise in improving depressive symptoms, particularly thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate. Vitamin C deficiency may heighten depressive symptoms, but its exact role is not fully understood. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is associated with insufficient sunlight exposure and vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplementation for SAD shows inconsistent results due to methodological variations. Further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms of vitamins in depression treatment. Moreover, more research on SAD and light therapy’s efficacy and underlying mechanisms involving photoreceptors, enzymes, and immune markers is needed. Although dietary and supplemental vitamins show overall favorable preventative and therapeutic effects on depression, dietitians treating psychiatric disorders face challenges due to diverse study designs, making direct comparisons difficult. Therefore, this article reviews the current literature to assess the role of dietary and supplemental vitamins in the prevention and treatment of depression.
This review found that, although evidence supports the role of B vitamins and vitamins C and D in preventing and treating depression, further research is needed to clarify their mechanisms of action and determine the most effective intervention strategies.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

---

13+ Seasonal Affective Disorder etc. in VItaminDWiki titles

This list is automatically updated

---

VitaminDWiki – Depression contains

• Low vitamin D is associated with most types of depression, Including: Seasonal Affective Disorder. manic depression, bipolar disorder, dysthymia, Depression during/after pregnancy, Seniors, Suicide
• Depression substantially reduced by Vitamin D, Omega-3, Magnesium, etc – many studies
• Depression 1.6 X more likely if low Vitamin D, taking Vitamin D reduces depression – umbrella of meta-analyses – Jan 2023
• Depression: Low vitamin D in the strongest of 11 risk factors – Jan 2023
• Yet another study confirms Depression is treated by weekly Vitamin D (50,000 IU)– RCT Dec 2019
• Depression treated by Omega-3 (again) – meta-analysis Aug 2019
• Supplementing with Vitamin D (or getting more sun) decreases most types of depression as well as drugs
• Omega-3, Magnesium, and St. Johns' Wort also decrease depression
  • Speculate that some combination (Vit D, Omega-3, Mg, St John's) will decrease depression even more
  • Note: Both Omega-3 and Magnesium increase the amount of vitamin D which gets to tissues
• Antidepressants reduce cellular Vitamin D, increasing fractures, CVD, etc. - Oct 2022
• There are 269 items in the Depression category in VitaminDWiki

Some recent publications

• Depression in seniors greatly reduced by Vitamin D (50,000 IU weekly) – meta-analysis June 2023
• Depression reduced if take more than 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily – umbrella meta-analysis – Jan 2023
• Post-partum depression and low Vitamin D - many studies
• Depression: Low vitamin D in the strongest of 11 risk factors – Jan 2023

---

Intervention and Depression

---

Meta-analyses and Depression