Researchers Link Low Vitamin D Levels to Depression

Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas have linked low levels of vitamin D to depression. Science Daily reports that the findings suggest that it might be useful to screen for vitamin D levels in depressed patients—and perhaps to screen for depression in people with low vitamin D levels. But the study did not determine if increasing vitamin D levels reduces depression.

Low vitamin D levels are already considered risk factors for other medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, certain cancers; and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.