
Vitamin D deficiency can affect seasonal depression, study says
JANUARY 20, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015, 1:21 AM
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Low vitamin D may be a culprit in winter depression
Vitamin D deficiency might impact mental health and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a depression linked to changes in the season, according to research recently published in Medical Hypotheses.
Seasonal depression, or SAD, is believed to affect up to 10 percent of the population, depending upon geographical location.
Based on researchers’ findings, vitamin D was likely to be a contributing factor in seasonal depression in that vitamin D levels fluctuate in the body seasonally, in direct relation to seasonally available sunlight.
Vitamin D is also involved in the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine within the brain, both chemicals linked to depression, according to the researchers.