Abstract
Sun exposure is considered the single most important source of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency has been suggested to play a role in the etiology of psychotic disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between sun exposure and psychotic experiences (PEs) in a general population sample of Swedish women. The study population included participants from The Swedish Women's Lifestyle and Health cohort study. The 20-item community assessment of psychic experiences (CAPEs) was administered between ages 30 and 50 to establish PEs. Sun exposure as measured by (1) sunbathing holidays and (2) history of sunburn was measured between ages 10 and 39. The association between sun exposure and PEs was evaluated by quantile regression models. 34,297 women were included in the analysis. Women who reported no sunbathing holidays and 2 or more weeks of sunbathing holidays scored higher on the CAPE scale than women exposed to 1 week of sunbathing holidays across the entire distribution, when adjusting for age and education. Similarly, compared with women who reported a history of one sunburn, the women with none or two or more sunburns showed higher scores on the CAPE scale. The results of the present study suggest that, in a population-based cohort of middle aged women, both low and high sun exposure is associated with increased level of positive PEs.
Highlights
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are lifelong neuropsychiatric conditions that affect 2–3% of the population [1, 2]
The population consisted of 34,297 women who reported data on the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) questionnaire at follow-up stage of the study in 2003
The mean response scores for each item of the CAPE scale is presented in Table S2 in Supplementary Material
Summary
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are lifelong neuropsychiatric conditions that affect 2–3% of the population [1, 2]. Schizophrenia has frequently been associated with abnormalities in the dopaminergic system [3]. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that plays an important role in many biochemical functions that contribute to aging, including bone renewal, cell proliferation, hormone balance, and cardiovascular and glucose metabolism [4]. Of particular interest is accumulating evidence for the role of vitamin D in the brain [5, 6]. Animal studies have shown that deficiency of prenatal vitamin D is associated with persistent changes in adult brain structure, neurochemistry, and behavior [5, 7]. Evidence links low vitamin D levels with reduced cognitive performance [8], increased risk for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death [9, 10]
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