Depression 50 percent more likely if low vitamin D in early pregnancy

Maternal Early-Pregnancy Vitamin D Status Is Associated With Maternal Depressive Symptoms in the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development Cohort

Psychosomatic Medicine August 9, 2012 PSY.0b013e3182639fdb Joke Brandenbarg, MSc, Tanja G.M. Vrijkotte, PhD, Geertje Goedhart, PhD and Manon van Eijsden, PhD [email protected]

From the Department of Epidemiology, Documentation, and Health Promotion (J.B., M.v.E.), Public Health Service; Department of Health Sciences (M.v.E.), VU University; and Department of Public Health (T.G.M.V.), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam; and Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (G.G.), University of Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Objective To examine low maternal vitamin D status as a potential risk factor for high levels of depressive symptoms in a pregnant population.

Methods In the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development cohort, maternal serum vitamin D (n = 4236) was measured during early pregnancy (median, 13 weeks) and labeled “deficient” (?29.9 nM), “insufficient” (30–49.9 nM), “sufficient” (50–79.9 nM), and “normal” (?80 nM). Maternal depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale at 16-week gestation. The association of vitamin D status with high levels of depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression score ?16) was assessed by multivariate logistic regression (final sample, 4101).

Results Overall, 23% of women had vitamin D deficiency, and 21% of women had vitamin D insufficiency. Women with high levels of depressive symptoms (28%) had lower vitamin D concentrations than women with low levels of depressive symptoms (p < .001).

After adjustment for constitutional factors, life-style and psychosocial covariates, and sociodemographic factors, vitamin D deficiency (odds ratio [OR], 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13–1.95) and insufficiency (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.12–1.85) were significantly associated with high levels of depressive symptoms.

Additional analyses revealed a linear trend, with an OR of 1.05 (95% CI, 1.02–1.08) for each 10-nM decrease in vitamin D status.

Conclusions In this study, low early-pregnancy vitamin D status was associated with elevated depressive symptoms in pregnancy. Further research, using a randomized controlled design, would be required to confirm the causality of this association and the potential benefits of higher vitamin D intake for psychosocial health.

Summary by Vitamin D Life

• <12 nanograms of vitamin D: 48% more likely to be depressed

• 12-25 nanograms of vitamin D: 44% more likely to be depressed

See also Vitamin D Life

• Psychosis in dark skinned people 3.5 X higher if low level of vitamin D – May 2012

• Less than 20 ng vitamin D increases depression by 80 percent – Dec 2010

• Overview Pregnancy and Vitamin D

• All items in depression and vitamin D items

• Pregnant blacks 50 pcnt more likely to be depressed if 3 ng lower vitamin D – July 2012

• Much less depression if more than 43 ng of vitamin D – Oct 2012

• Antidepressants might increase infertility and pregnancy problems – Nov 2012

• Depression during pregnancy twice as likely if consume little vitamin D – July 2014

Iitems tagged in both categories Depression AND Pregnancy {category}

See also web

• Depression ==> premature birth 96% increase in premature birth if ani-depressants in late pregnancy; April 2014
  • No mention of low vitamin D