

“Vitamin D is crucial not only for bone health but for proper brain development and functioning. “So, not just bone and muscle health, but vitamin D has a lot of impact on mental and brain health too,” she says. Sreemathy Venkatraman, chief clinical dietician at Trustwell Hospitals and founder of Mitha Ahara: Eat to live, specifically points to dementia, which causes forgetfulness. In fact, it is seen that Vitamin D acts more like a hormone in the body thus having varied roles across various organ systems including the brain and nervous system,” the psychiatrist adds. “Apart from the well-known effect on calcium metabolism, low levels of vitamin D are also associated with cognitive decline. Similarly, our gut health is connected to both vitamin D and psychological state,” Dr Kapoor adds. It may also be due to low exposure to sunlight as UV rays in sunlight cause the formation of vitamin D in the body and also impact mood positively.

“Low levels of vitamin D are associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety in several studies. And despite a direct link between vitamin D supplementation and anxiety/ depression is yet to be established, “its involvement as an additional factor in the causation of psychiatric issues is undeniable,” says Dr Kapoor.

It is to be noted here that although a deficiency of vitamin D has been found in patients suffering from depression, the deficiency has not been found to cause the illness.Īlthough research hints at a connection, it is yet to be established and more studies are needed for the same. “A deficiency of vitamin D can compromise brain function and increase symptoms of depression, irritability, anxiety, and more,” Dr Kapoor says. Īlso read: Watch out! High salt diet may harden your arteries A similar association has been found between this vitamin and patients suffering from gout, multiple sclerosis, injuries to the spinal cord, and stroke. It is a type of depression that affects women after giving birth. Several studies, in particular, have suggested a link between low vitamin D levels and postpartum depression. For instance, in some studies, participants experienced an improvement in depression symptoms when taking vitamin D supplements. Research on vitamin D supplementation has also found a similar link. Meet Yashovardhan Birla, a scion of the Birla family, a 51-year-old fitness icon and entrepreneur: Know about his tragic past, education, net worth and more
