Title
Vitamin D Supplementation and Depression in the Women's Health Initiative Calcium and Vitamin D Trial
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine; Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Publication Date
2012-05-09
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Vitamin D; Depression; Antidepressive Agents; Dietary Supplements
Disciplines
Cardiology | Cardiovascular Diseases
Abstract
While observational studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency increases risk of depression, few clinical trials have tested whether vitamin D supplementation affects the occurrence of depression symptoms. The authors evaluated the impact of daily supplementation with 400 IU of vitamin D(3) combined with 1,000 mg of elemental calcium on measures of depression in a randomized, double-blinded US trial comprising 36,282 postmenopausal women. The Burnam scale and current use of antidepressant medication were used to assess depressive symptoms at randomization (1995-2000). Two years later, women again reported on their antidepressant use, and 2,263 completed a second Burnam scale. After 2 years, women randomized to receive vitamin D and calcium had an odds ratio for experiencing depressive symptoms (Burnam score ≥0.06) of 1.16 (95% confidence interval: 0.86, 1.56) compared with women in the placebo group. Supplementation was not associated with antidepressant use (odds ratio = 1.01, 95% confidence interval: 0.92, 1.12) or continuous depressive symptom score. Results stratified by baseline vitamin D and calcium intake, solar irradiance, and other factors were similar. The findings do not support a relation between supplementation with 400 IU/day of vitamin D(3) along with calcium and depression in older women. Additional trials testing higher doses of vitamin D are needed to determine whether this nutrient may help prevent or treat depression.
Keywords
antidepressive agents, calcium, clinical trial, depression, dietary supplements, postmenopause, vitamin D, women
Rights and Permissions
Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
DOI of Published Version
10.1093/aje/kwr482
Source
Bertone-Johnson ER, et al. Vitamin D Supplementation and Depression in the Women’s Health Initiative Calcium and Vitamin D Trial. Am J Epidemiol. First published online May 9, 2012. doi:10.1093/aje/kwr482.
Journal/Book/Conference Title
American Journal of Epidemiology
Related Resources
PubMed ID
22573431
Repository Citation
Bertone-Johnson ER, Powers SI, Spangler L, Larson JC, Michael YL, Millen AE, Bueche MN, Salmoirago Blotcher E, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Brunner RL, Ockene IS, Ockene JK, Liu S, Manson JE. (2012). Vitamin D Supplementation and Depression in the Women's Health Initiative Calcium and Vitamin D Trial. Cardiovascular Medicine Publications and Presentations. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwr482. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/cardio_pp/84