Pradeep Tarikere Satyanarayana, Ravishankar Suryanarayana, Susanna Theophilus Yesupatham, Sudha Reddy Varadapuram Ramalingareddy, Navya Aswathareddy Gopalli
Journal: Nutrients 2024;16(12):1828
PMID: 38931184
Causal associations between dietary patterns and depression suggest that the presence of certain nutrients within the diet may play a pivotal role in perpetuating good mental health, while nutritional deficiencies may have an appreciable impact on mood and overall wellbeing. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of depression in rural adolescent boys and girls. This research was a cluster randomised controlled trial carried out for a period of 3 years conducted in rural areas of Kolar. Kolar has more than 36 rural schools, out of which, 20 were randomly selected, and each of which was considered as a cluster. There were two groups after randomisation: one group received a high dose of vitamin D at 2000 IU per day, and the other received a lower dose of 250 IU per day, along with calcium. Results showed the vitamin D intervention arm showed a statistically significant reduction in Beck depression scores compared with the calcium intervention arm. Authors concluded that their findings highlight the importance of incorporating vitamin D supplementation into school health programmes.
BACKGROUND
Contemporary evidence has been established demonstrating that stunted vitamin D levels are associated with depression, poor mood, and other mental disorders. Individuals with normal vitamin D levels have a much lower probability of developing depression. Improving vitamin D levels by supplementation has shown betterment in depressive patients among different age groups. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on depression scores among rural adolescents.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
This study was a cluster randomized controlled trial carried out for a period of 3 years among adolescents from rural Kolar. The sample size was calculated based on previous research and was determined to be 150 for each group. The intervention arm received 2250 IU of vitamin D, and the control arm received a lower dose of 250 IU of vitamin D for 9 weeks. To assess sociodemographic status, a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire was used, and, to assess depression, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) was used. A baseline assessment was carried out for vitamin D status and depression status, followed by a post-intervention assessment. From the start of the trial, the participants were contacted every week by the pediatric team to investigate any side effects.
RESULTS
Out of 235 school students in the vitamin D supplementation arm, 129 (54.9%) belonged to the 15 years age group, 124 (52.8%) were boys, and 187 (79.6%) belonged to a nuclear family. Out of 216 school students in the calcium supplementation arm, 143 (66.2%) belonged to the 15 years age group, 116 (53.7%) were girls, and 136 (63%) belonged to a nuclear family. By comparing Beck depression scores before and after the intervention, it was found that the vitamin D intervention arm showed a statistically significant reduction in Beck depression scores.
CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed that vitamin D supplementation reduced depression scores, showing some evidence that nutritional interventions for mental health issues such as depression are an excellent option. Vitamin D supplementation in schools can have numerous beneficiary effects on health while mutually benefiting mental health.
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