Abstract
A possible role of vitamin D in the pathophysiology of depression is currently speculative, with more rigorous research needed to assess this association in large adult populations. The current study assesses prospective associations between vitamin D status and depression in middle-aged adults enrolled in the UK Biobank. We assessed prospective associations between vitamin D status at the baseline assessment (2006-2010) and depression measured at the follow-up assessment (2016) in 139 128 adults registered with the UK Biobank. Amongst participants with no depression at baseline (n = 127 244), logistic regression revealed that those with vitamin D insufficiency [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.22] and those with vitamin D deficiency (aOR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.13-1.36) were more likely to develop new-onset depression at follow-up compared with those with optimal vitamin D levels after adjustment for a wide range of relevant covariates. Similar prospective associations were reported for those with depression at baseline (n = 11 884) (insufficiency: aOR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.00-1.23; deficiency: aOR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.13-1.50). The prospective associations found between vitamin D status and depression suggest that both vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency might be risk factors for the development of new-onset depression in middle-aged adults. Moreover, vitamin D deficiency (and to a lesser extent insufficiency) might be a predictor of sustained depressive symptoms in those who are already depressed. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is very common, meaning that these findings have significant implications for public health.
Highlights
Vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a major global health problem (Holick & Chen, 2008)
Analysis was carried out in participants who had Vitamin D levels measured at baseline and completed the follow-up mental health questionnaire (n = 139 128)
When vitamin D was entered into the fully-adjusted model as a continuous variable, the results indicated that for every unit increase in vitamin D, the risk of new depression declined modestly
Summary
Vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a major global health problem (Holick & Chen, 2008). Being deficient in vitamin D has been associated with the development of cancer, infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases (Holick & Chen, 2008). A possible role of vitamin D in the pathophysiology of depression is currently speculative, with more rigorous research needed to assess this association in large adult populations. The current study assesses prospective associations between vitamin D status and depression in middle-aged adults enrolled in the UK Biobank. We assessed prospective associations between vitamin D status at the baseline assessment (2006–2010) and depression measured at the follow-up assessment (2016) in 139 128 adults registered with the UK Biobank. The prospective associations found between vitamin D status and depression suggest that both vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency might be risk factors for the development of new-onset depression in middle-aged adults. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is very common, meaning that these findings have significant implications for public health
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