Normally, as well as food sources, your body naturally produces Vitamin D as a reaction to sunlight (being outdoors), and not having sufficient time outdoors, especially in a pleasant/nature environment, may be contributing to depression.
Link between Vitamin D and depression has been known for a long time. It is not a new finding.
> your body naturally produces Vitamin D as a reaction to sunlight (being outdoors), and not having sufficient time outdoors, especially in a pleasant/nature environment, may be contributing to depression.
At higher latitudes, it is extremely difficult to produce Vitamin D from sunlight unless you expose your entire torso(without a shirt). If you have dark skin, you need 2x or 3x more time.
Again, there is extensive literature on this, you just have to read it instead of speculating.
The link has been disputed for as long.
> Again, there is extensive literature on this, you just have to read it instead of speculating.
There you go:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008710/
"Although low vitamin D levels have been observationally associated with depression and depressive symptoms, the effect of vitamin D supplementation as an antidepressant remains uncertain."
I'm not saying you should stop taking it. If it works for you - great. But don't get annoyed at people who point out that the link is tenuous at best.
(Incidentally, it did nothing to improve my mood - but I continue to take it for its other health benefits. I was in the severe depletion zone, and brought it up to mid-normal.)
I am not sure whether they compensated for BMI or used sufficient dosage. A 2000 IU/day might not be sufficient as the amount required depends on the current level and BMI.
From studies we know, Vitamin D accumulates in fat cells before it is available for bodily functions, so unless the dosage was adjusted for BMI, the experiment might not have been done on an equal footing for all participants.
How do we know that Vitamin D accumulates in fat cells? When someone loses weight, the Vitamin D level improves dramatically despite not having ingested any Vitamin D or made from sunlight.
One could say depressed people stay in bed all day and don't go outside and get sunlight, thus low vit d
I’ve since observed that when I run out of vitamin D or forget to take it for several days, my mood slowly declines again. Resumption of vitamin D reverses this.
I did not go into this with any knowledge of such an effect. And the vitamin D influence is stronger in this regard than what I’ve experienced from any (legal) drug. That said, it’s hardly overwhelming. Just a bit more resilience and a bit of protection from feeling overwhelmed.
I now take it in combination with K2 as I’ve heard/read K2 helps keep too much of your calcium from being mobilized by the vitamin D.
The D3 isomer is said to be significantly more bio-available than D1 and D2. And, overdosing does have significant negative consequences over time. So, do your research — and I’m not going to suggest any specific dosages.
But after largely negative experiences with what the pharmaceutical industry has to offer, D3 has been an inexpensive and valuable contribution to my well-being.