Abstract
We aimed to test the hypothesis that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D) concentration is associated with mental health and life stress measures in young adults and investigate gender and racial disparities in these associations. This study comprised 327 black and white participants. Depression, trait anxiety, perceived stress, and hostility were measured by the following validated instruments: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Cook–Medley Hostility Scale (CMHS). Linear regression was used to estimate correlations between serum 25(OH)D concentration and mental health measurements in the total population and in subgroups stratified by gender and race. In this sample (28.2 ± 3.1 years, 52% female, 53% black), serum 25(OH)D concentration was negatively related to BDI, STAI, PSS, total CMHS score, and the majority of CMHS subscale scores (p-values < 0.05). Stratified by gender, most of these associations remained significant only in women (p-values < 0.05). Stratified by race, higher 25(OH)D concentrations in white participants were significantly related to lower BDI, STAI, PSS, and CMHS-cynicism subscales (p-values < 0.05); 25(OH)D concentrations in the black participants were only inversely associated with CMHS and most CMHS subscales (p-values < 0.05) but not with BDI, STAI, and PSS. We present novel findings of consistent inverse relationships between serum 25(OH)D concentration and various measures of mental health and life stress. Long-term interventional studies are warranted in order to investigate the roles of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and mitigation of depression, anxiety, and psychological stress in young adults.
Highlights
Mental health is an important dimension of health, affecting overall quality of life, and mental disorders impose a significant economic, social, and public health burden [1]
We aimed to test the hypothesis that serum 25(OH)D concentration is associated with mental health and life stress measurements including depression, trait anxiety, perceived stress, and hostility in young adults
Among the follow-up visits, 327 serum samples collected on visit 15 between 2008 and 2010 were measured for serum 25(OH)D concentrations, which were used for the correlational analyses between the vitamin D status and mental health
Summary
Mental health is an important dimension of health, affecting overall quality of life, and mental disorders impose a significant economic, social, and public health burden [1]. Mental disorders compromise patients’ quality of life but are important risk factors for physical/somatic. Studies suggest that depression is associated with inflammation [2] and cardiovascular disease [3]. Higher perceived stress has been related to worse outcomes of aging [4] and immunity [5]. Other areas of mental health and stress can affect disease. Anxiety was significantly associated with coronary artery calcification [6], and hostility is related to insulin resistance and inflammation [7]
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