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Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#121

Post by LinuxBender »

TameAntelope wrote: post #111
LinuxBender wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like there are a ton of confounding variables possible, not to mention your own personal biases in interpreting any potential causality. Absolutely 100% this. For years I was following the scientific method, reading countless papers on PubMed, binge watching videos from micro biologists and eventually reached the conclusion that if I continued down that path my progress would be paralyzed by the scientific…

> I stand by my words that the RDA is far too low for most people today given the lack of sunlight exposure, the poor diets, the high levels of stress and inflammation from bad diets and so many more factors. You aren't qualified to make this statement, doctor or no, especially considering it's in direct contradiction to consensus medical advice.

I agree with you. That is why even after decades of digesting NIH studies, weeding out the epidemiological studies given that to your point most are highly conflated and confounded I have concluded that nobody is qualified to make statements on this topic. Either way time will tell who took the right path. My morbid goal is to outlive all the grandchildren of the people that are my age so that I can give talks on how science has been tainted. Sorry I know that is morbid.

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#122

Post by m348e912 »

carabiner wrote: post #3
throckmortra wrote: post #2

My first winter in NYC was very rough and I didn't understand why at first. I got a blood test at the doc and he said my vitamin D was very low. I committed to walking in the sun at least a half hour a day, weather permitting, and I never really had issues again. Part of the issue was I was spending a lot of time walking outside but not in sunlight due to the tall buildings. Just my anecdotal 2c

I live in Seattle and have been depressed for a while. I had my Vitamin D3 levels checked via blood test, and they were really low. Started taking 5,000 IU per day, and I feel exactly the same as before.

I've run into this too. It's worth noting that there are a few different types of vitamin D.

ergocalciferol

               - vitamin d2 derived from plants
cholecalciferol

               - vitamin d3 from sunlight

               - vitamin d3 derived from lanolin washed from lambs wool

               - vitamin d3 derived from lichen
I've tried a few different types, many don't seem to make me feel any different. Liquid vitamin d3 [0] seems to work well at doses above 5k IU.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Designs-Health-Emulsi-D3-Emulsified-V...

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#123

Post by ekianjo »

TameAntelope wrote: post #69
LinuxBender wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use 60,000 to 90,000 IU's per day and have been doing so for years. The most I have taken in a 24 hour period is 140,000 IU's. There is no way I could have started off at those levels however. It would have induced major hypercalcemia had I done that prior to mobilizing all the stored/misplaced calcium in my gut and vasculature. I am not suggesting anyone else do this. One must have a specific need when doing this.…

> Taking 60,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity. This level is many times higher than the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for most adults of 600 IU of vitamin D a day. [0] I think you may be poisoning yourself. [0] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-h...

the 600 IU RDA is clearly a mistake in an earlier publication. it should be 10x that.

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#124

Post by onesafari »

adfjalkfja wrote: post #85
lordentropy wrote: post #12

Daily morning and afternoon exposure to bright light might actually be more important to reducing depression than direct vitamin D supplementation. Low vitamin D might just be an indicator that you are not getting enough sunlight. Sunlight also affects melatonin and serotonin levels, and synchronizes your Circadian rhythm. Not sure why that article doesn't talk about Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and how bright…

Had a consult with a sleep doctor, he stressed the importance of getting out for morning light for at least 30 minutes with no sunglasses.

Why no sunglasses?

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#125

Post by nl »

annamargot wrote: post #33
lordentropy wrote: post #12

Daily morning and afternoon exposure to bright light might actually be more important to reducing depression than direct vitamin D supplementation. Low vitamin D might just be an indicator that you are not getting enough sunlight. Sunlight also affects melatonin and serotonin levels, and synchronizes your Circadian rhythm. Not sure why that article doesn't talk about Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and how bright…

Latitude matters though. The farther north you are the more time in the sun you’d need. In some far north places, the sun you do get is not strong enough to get any Vit D. http://web.archive.org/web/20210302053343/https://jaoa.org/a... https://www.grassrootshealth.net/document/sunshine-calendar/

In the Southern Hemisphere (yes, people do live south of the equator) this advice is complicated by the ozone hole causing the risk of skin cancer to be much higher than in the northern hemisphere.

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#126

Post by [deleted] »

pmoriarty wrote: post #54
Vecr wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, 5000 IU per day is generally considered the highest non megadose. Make sure it is good quality (D3, USP in the US), and it should be fine. Some people say also to take K2 (also make sure it's USP in the US), but I'm not sure the exact supposed mechanism of protection from adverse effects from D3. Something about preventing calcium from leaching from the bones and accumulating in the blood, I think.

"Vitamin D controls the absorption of calcium into the blood. Vitamin K2 controls where that calcium ends up. "Over-supplementation of vitamin D3 without ample vitamin K2 leads to problems of excess calcium. "If calcium isn’t laid into bone, it will find itself in other tissues, like your arteries. Calcium in the arteries is BAD. It contributes to atherosclerosis and vessel stiffness." https://dralexrinehart.com/arti…

[deleted]

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#127

Post by dralley »

ekianjo wrote: post #123
TameAntelope wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Taking 60,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity. This level is many times higher than the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for most adults of 600 IU of vitamin D a day. [0] I think you may be poisoning yourself. [0] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-h...

the 600 IU RDA is clearly a mistake in an earlier publication. it should be 10x that.

The dose they claim to be taking is 100x that, not 10x.

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#128

Post by dragonwriter »

ekianjo wrote: post #123
TameAntelope wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Taking 60,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity. This level is many times higher than the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for most adults of 600 IU of vitamin D a day. [0] I think you may be poisoning yourself. [0] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-h...

the 600 IU RDA is clearly a mistake in an earlier publication. it should be 10x that.

No, 600 IU (15mcg) is the actual RDA. There's a lot of belief that it's an error, but it's not a typographical error.

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#129

Post by docmechanic »

rhexs wrote: post #118
docmechanic wrote: post #89

Off topic, but perhaps of interest to anyone dealing with depression. Twenty five years or so ago, someone recommended that I try St. John's Wort. I had a negative reaction - bad skin rash - but the Mayo Clinic mentions that some studies show it "can be effective for treating mild to moderate depression." https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-st-johns-wort/a...

It has plenty of drug interactions. Might as well just try a SSRI if you’re going that route.

Yup. I'm one of the lucky ones for whom SSRIs work.

Re: Vitamin D and Depression (2020)

#130

Post by dragonwriter »

tomatowurst wrote: post #8
carabiner wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Seattle and have been depressed for a while. I had my Vitamin D3 levels checked via blood test, and they were really low. Started taking 5,000 IU per day, and I feel exactly the same as before.

5000 IU is really too much. At best 2000, 2500 IU is good.

Unless you are a doctor that has been monitoring the poster, you have no idea if that is true. My blood levels are consistently deficient when I’m not taking 10,000 IU/day (and this is with a fair amount of daily sun exposure.) People have widely varying needs.
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