Vitamin D is an incredibly important nutrient for numerous aspects of our health. Despite living in one of the sunniest areas, even patients in Arizona are frequently deficient in this key nutrient. It is transformed in our body with the help of sunlight, however our indoor lifestyles often restrict the ability to make it on our own.
This study looked at whether or not your Vitamin D level could predict depression. The findings showed that lower levels of this crucial nutrient were in fact associated with depression. In fact, the lower your levels the more significant the depression showed to be. You should not rely on Vitamin D alone to fix it, but definitely don’t let it be a part of the problem! I recommend testing Vitamin D at least yearly to monitor, more frequently if you have been deficient. Complex conditions like Depression always have numerous factors involved, and I heavily encourage genetic testing for MTHFR and Methylation pathway issues in addition.
Just 10-15 minutes per day of sun exposure when the sun is high in the sky can be adequate to maintain levels. However once you are deficient it is often necessary to use supplementation to replete your body. Please discuss dosing strategies with your doctor but keep in mind that you need to be taking Vitamin D3 (Not D2) from a reputable company and that even an SPF 8 will block your ability to capture it via the sun.