Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Depression
Research from Oregon State University suggests there is a link between low plasma levels of vitamin D and depression in young women. Vitamin D is obviously linked to sunshine and thus depression may occur more in the winter months. Hence the idea of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder..
Results of the research were published in ‘Psychiatry Research’. Co-authors were Sarina Saturn of the School of Psychological Science; Balz Frei and Adrian Gombart of OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute; David Zava of ZRT Laboratory and Walter Piper, a former OSU student now at New York University.
The new study was prompted because there is a widely held belief that vitamin D and depression were connected, but not much hard evidence.
You can of course supplement. As an preventative daily supplement Harvard Medical School recommends 1000 IUs; but if you have a chronic illness such as cancer, the recommended level is 5,000IUs, and you should consider a supplement containing vitamin K as it helps the immune system pick up an essential vitamin D molecule.
