Vitamin D
Effects on mood
tl;dr: As of 2020, studies are pretty weak/inconclusive. It's hard to study this, because of all of the other factors you have to control for. If you get outside more, you might have more Vitamin D, but getting outside alone is going to help mood and sleep.
Studies that are correlational in nature raise the issue of reverse causality. That is, people reporting mood and/or sleep complaints may be more likely to stay indoors, which subsequently leads to lower serum 25(OH)D due to decreased UVB exposure during daytime (source)
In addition, exposure to UVB may co-occur with, for instance, physical activity and exposure to nature, which have been found to impact mood [109,110], but was not accounted for in the studies reported here. (source)
In addition, exposure to UVB may co-occur with, for instance, physical activity and exposure to nature, which have been found to impact mood [109,110], but was not accounted for in the studies reported here. (source)
In addition to observational studies, ten RCTs have investigated the effects of vitamin D supplementation on mood and/or depressive symptoms in non-patient samples (source)
When inspecting Table A.1, it can be concluded that, in most studies, vitamin D supplementation was not effective in influencing mood and/or depressive symptoms. (source)
Only two of these ten RCTs found a significant improvement in respectively depressive symptoms and mood (source)
In this randomized clinical trial that included 18 353 adults aged 50 years or older without depression or clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline, vitamin D3 supplementation compared with placebo did not result in statistically significant differences in the incidence and recurrence of depression or clinically relevant depressive symptoms (hazard ratio, 0.97) or for change in mood scores over a 5-year treatment period. (source)
It can be concluded that the current literature revealed mixed results for the effect of vitamin D on sleep and mood. (source)
It’s definitely helped stabilise my mood. (source)
Notes
tl;dr on effects: No strong evidence / studies saying Vitamin D necessary for anything other than skeletal support. There's guesses, but the causality (or the direction of causality) haven't been proven with quality studies
Salmon, tuna, sardines, sun-dried mushrooms, eggs, fortified milk and orange juice high in Vitamin D
Vegans are at higher risk for deficiency
D3 if not vegan, D2 if vegan (for supplementation)
Even if you don't have any winter problems, you still don't get enough vitamin D unless you already eat intentionally fortified food, and a lot of it! (source)
Take them year round unless you work in the sun or something (source)
You do not have to take them daily. They build up in your system over a series of months, unlike vitamin C or whatever, so you can overdose over time easier but also you can slack a little on your dosage. (source)
In general, 1k IU per day will be safe and even up to 4k will be fine. Just remember you don't need to take every day like other supplements. (source)
They're the most effective if you eat them with something oily/fatty. (source)
Also Vit D is fat soluble, you'll need to take it in a capsule (source)
Potentially unsafe amounts of vitamin D — that is, more than 4,000 international units (IU) per day, according to a research letter (source)
Those who took vitamin D supplements for at least two years had a 25% lower chance of dying from their cancer compared with those who received a placebo. (source)
If you live in the northern states (latitudes north of 37°), you are at higher risk for a vitamin D deficiency because your skin may not be able to produce any vitamin D from sun exposure during the winter months. (source)
Your skin's ability to produce vitamin D drops with age. If you're over age 65, you generate only one-fourth as much vitamin D as you did in your 20s. (source)
People with darker skin typically have lower levels of vitamin D than lighter-skinned individuals. African Americans have, on average, about half as much vitamin D in their blood compared with white Americans. (source)
If you have a body mass index above 30, you may have low blood levels of vitamin D. (source)
Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. (source)
If you're taking a vitamin D supplement, you probably don't need more than 600 to 800 IU per day, which is adequate for most people. (source)
Yet, a recent survey found that 40% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D, especially African Americans, people who smoke, those who get little sun exposure or regularly use sunscreen, adults over age 65, and those with obesity or diabetes (source)
A simple test is to look at your shadow. If its the same height or shorter than you, you’re getting enough sun to make vitamin D. If its longer than you, you’re probably not. In most places in the US in the winter, you can probably guess what you’re going to see. (source)
Adults need 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D each day (800 IU if you’re over age 70), which can be sourced through sunlight, diet, or supplements. (source)
Might help in preventing things like heart disease, cancer, flu, multiple sclerosis, but research still isn't the best in this area
Common symptoms of deficiency include feeling tired and achy, though often there are no symptoms at all. (source)
The supplements tested in the aforementioned research had between 9 and 146 percent of the expected dose. (source)
The researchers found supplements from a USP-verified bottle were the most accurate and least variable, so when you’re looking for a supplement, be on the lookout for the USP mark. (source)
A lot of controversy still on how much to supplement
Our bodies can only produce natural vitamin D when the sun is above a 45 degree angle. (source)
Vitamin K2 is only found in certain animal-derived foods and fermented foods like natto, kimchi, and sauerkraut. (source)
Vitamins D3 and K2 that you can take in addition to this daily product. Why? These two nutrients work together to help support your skeletal strength and bone health, muscle function, and normal immune response. (source)
Vitamin D is stored in your fat and liver and is released back into your body when you are low. So if you have a decent supply by the end of summer, it should last you until spring again. (source)
Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays (the ones your body needs to make vitamin D) (source)
Apart from its effect on the bone mineral metabolism, vitamin D exhibits an extensive effect on multiple biological processes in humans like cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and immune regulations. (source)
However, the results of randomized clinical trials do not echo the positive impact of vitamin D in many human diseases with similar intensity. This could be due to limited sample sizes, differences in ethnicity, variations in vitamin D dosage, and discrepancies in unmeasured confounding principles across different clinical trials. ([source](However, the results of randomized clinical trials do not echo the positive impact of vitamin D in many human diseases with similar intensity. This could be due to limited sample sizes, differences in ethnicity, variations in vitamin D dosage, and discrepancies in unmeasured confounding principles across different clinical trials.))
However, inconsistencies between the findings of molecular studies, observational studies, and randomized clinical trials in many human disorders also raise questions about the role of vitamin D whether it lies in causal pathways of human disorders or whether low vitamin D levels are only a phenomena in human diseases. ([source](However, inconsistencies between the findings of molecular studies, observational studies, and randomized clinical trials in many human disorders also raise questions about the role of vitamin D whether it lies in causal pathways of human disorders or whether low vitamin D levels are only a phenomena in human diseases.))
Given the widespread effect of vitamin D on key biological processes, it seems unfair to consider vitamin D as only a marker of ill health. However, strong evidence supporting the causal relationship between vitamin D and non-skeletal human disorders is lacking. (source)
Make sure you are taking Magnesium (glycinate, taurate or malate) and K2 (MK7) with it. Magnesium is necessary for Vit.D absorption and increasing Vit. D intake increases need for Mag. (source)
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