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Large Study Confirms Vitamin D Does Not Reduce Risk of Depression in Adults

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Originally published in Mass General

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  • Previous studies have reported that low blood levels of vitamin D were associated with higher risk for depression later in life
  • In the recent VITAL-DEP (Depression Endpoint Prevention in the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial), researchers found that vitamin D supplementation does not protect against depression in middle-age or older adulthood
  • Olivia I. Okereke, MD, MS, lead author of the report, noted that the size of the study, with nearly 20,000 participants, made it statistically powered to answer questions about vitamin D more accurately

Vitamin D supplementation does not protect against depression in middle-age or older adulthood, according to a recent study published in JAMA of over 18,000 men and women aged 50 years or older. These findings contradict the results of prior, smaller studies on the relationship between vitamin D and depressive symptoms.

Researchers reviewed 18,353 men and women from the previous VITAL study who did not already have an indication of clinical depression. They found that the risk of depression or clinically relevant depressive symptoms was not significantly different between those receiving active vitamin D3 supplements and those receiving a placebo. They also reported no significant differences in mood scores over time between the two groups.

Olivia I. Okereke, MD, MS, of the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the lead author of the report and principal investigator of the study, titled VITAL-DEP (Depression Endpoint Prevention in the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial). She said that while taking vitamin D can be useful for other reasons, such as bone and metabolic health, many of the presumed benefits for mental health or mood lack validity.

Dr. Okereke also said that previous studies may have been too small to accurately demonstrate the effects of vitamin D on depression. As the VITAL-DEP study is one of the largest ever studies of its kind, researchers shared confidence that their findings offered a more definitive answer to this question.

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