An extensive meta-analysis suggests that vitamin D supplementation may alleviate depressive symptoms in adults with depression. Conducted by an internatio🔯nal team of researchers, the meta-analysis includes dozens of studies from around the world.

Depressive symptoms cause a significant disease burden worldwide. The th🐈erapeutic efficacy of current antidepressants is often insufficient, which is why other ways to alleviate the symptoms of depression𓄧 have been sought, for example, from nutritional research.

Vitamin D is believed to regulate central nervous system functions the disturbances of whic♉h have been associated with depression. In addition, cross-sectional studies have observed an association between depressive symptoms and vitamin D deficiency. However, p🎉revious meta-analyses on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on depression have been inconclusive. In a meta-analysis, results from several different studies are combined and analyzed statistically.

The new meta-analysis on the association of vitamin D supplementation with depression is the largest one published so far, including results from 41 studies from around𝓡 the world. These studies have investigated the efficacy of vitamin D in alleviating depressive symptoms in adults by randomized placebo-controlled trials in different populations. The studies included those carried out in patients with depression, in the general population, and in people with various physical conditions. The results of the meta-analysis show that vitamin D supplementation is more effective than a placebo in alleviating depressive symptoms in people with depression. There were major differences in the vitamin D doses used, but typically the vitamin D supplement was 50–100 micrograms per day.

“Despite the broad scope of this meta-analysis, the certainty of evidence remains low due to the heterogeneity of the populations studied and the risk of bias associated with a large number of studies,” Doctoral Researcher and lead author Tuomas Mikolaof the Institute of Clinical Medicine a🎉t the University of Eastern Finland says. The meta-analysis is part of Mikola’s PhD thesis.

“Theওse findings will encourage new, high-level clinical trials in patients with depression in order to shed more light on the possible role of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of depression,” Mikola concludes.

The meta-analysis was carried out in international collaboration between Finnish, Austraꦚlian and US rese🐭archers.

The study was published in .

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