In the News Vitamin D Deficiency – Part II

(Continued from Part I…)

Depression - If you’re familiar with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), you may not be surprised to hear that vitamin D deficiency may be linked to a higher risk of depression. After all, the nickname for vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, and that’s not just because people may generate much of the vitamin D they need with sun exposure. There is research evidence that shows a relationship between mood and vitamin D levels, where deficient vitamin D levels are related to depression. 

Risk of Schizophrenia - Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder that affects between 0.25 and 0.64 percent of American adults, according to the NIMH. Symptoms of schizophrenia, which commonly appear between ages 16 and 30, include hallucinations, incoherent speech, withdrawal from others, and trouble focusing or paying attention.People who are vitamin D deficient may be twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia compared with people with sufficient vitamin D levels.

Dementia - A study in the journal Neurology found that moderate and severe vitamin D deficiency in older adults was associated with a doubled risk for some forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia involves a decline in thinking, behavior, and memory that negatively affects daily life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. 

Diabetes - Research found that when vitamin D is deficient, many cellular processes in the body begin to break down, and this sets the stage for the onset of diseases such as diabetes. 

Prostate cancer - There is some evidence that vitamin D deficiency may play a role in prostate health. One study found a link between low blood levels of vitamin D and aggressive prostate cancer in European American and African American men.