---
title: Does taking vitamin D help with depression? | Niyora
description: We still don't know. This review says there isn't enough good evidence yet to say vitamin D levels cause or prevent depression.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/vitamin-d-and-the-occurrence-of-depression-causal-association-or-circumstantial-2009/
---

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- Does taking vitamin D help with depression?

Review, 2009

# Does taking vitamin D help with depression?

We still don't know. This review says there isn't enough good evidence yet to say vitamin D levels cause or prevent depression.

 Early or limited evidence

Not a specific patient group; the review discusses existing lab and population studies on vitamin D and depression in general.

## What they did

This is a review article, not a new study. The authors looked back at existing lab research and population studies on vitamin D and mood, including one randomized trial.

## What they found

Lab studies have taught us more about how vitamin D acts in the brain, but population studies on vitamin D and depression have given mixed results and had weaknesses in how they were designed. One randomized trial found that high doses of vitamin D supplements may help mild depressive symptoms. Many questions remain open, including whether vitamin D affects brain chemicals and stress hormones, whether it helps more serious depression, and whether having enough vitamin D protects against new or returning depression.

## What it means for you

The authors conclude it is too early to say vitamin D status is linked to depression, and more long-term studies are needed. This paper is not about PMS or PMDD specifically, and it is a review of other research rather than a study of real patients, so it can't tell you whether vitamin D will help your mood.

1

Randomized trials on vitamin D and mild depression discussed

## About the study

Original title Vitamin D and the occurrence of depression: causal association or circumstantial evidence? Authors Bertone-Johnson ER Journal Nutrition reviews Year 2009 Study design Review What was tested Vitamin D supplementation, discussed based on one randomized trial mentioned in the review; the review itself did not test anything new. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00220.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00220.x)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Vitamin D](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-vitamin-d/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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