References for this new Vitamin D research
Vitamin D and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes in People With Prediabetes,
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-3018?utm_source=cmpnr&utm_campaign=lfa_230207_a&utm_content=3&cmp=1&utm_medium=email
Vitamin D supplementation and incident dementia: Effects of sex, APOE, and baseline cognitive status
https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dad2.12404
The association between vitamin D serum levels, supplementation, and suicide attempts and intentional self-harm
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0279166
Results
N = 981,770 veterans
490,885 treated
490,885 controls
Unadjusted suicide attempt and self-harm rate
0.36% in the control population
0.20% in the treated population
Vitamin D3 supplementation, associated with a 48% lower risk of suicide attempt and self-harm
Vitamin D2 supplementation, associated with a 45% lower risk of suicide attempt and self-harm
Supplemented black veterans
~64% lower risk relative to controls
Supplemented Veterans with 0–19 ng/ml
~64% lower risk relative to controls
Supplementation with higher vitamin D dosages
Associated with greater risk reductions than lower dosages
As vitamin D levels increased,
the proportion of veterans experiencing suicide attempts and self-harm,
declined in the control groups and stayed relatively fixed in the treated groups.
Conclusions
Oral vitamin D is associated with a suicide attempt and intentional self-harm risk reduction of approximately 45%-48%.
Supplementation with higher daily dosages of vitamin D3 was associated with lower suicide attempt and self-harm risk than supplementation with lower dosages.
Further, the associated risk reduction in suicide attempt and self-harm was more significant among Black veterans receiving supplementation with Vitamin D than white veterans,
among whom low Vitamin D serum levels are more common than among White veterans.
As a relatively safe, easily accessible, and affordable medication,
supplementation with vitamin D in the VA may hold promise if confirmed in clinical trials to prevent suicide attempts and suicide.
Associations between
Vitamin D supplementation
40 UI to 50,000 UI per day
25(OH) blood serum levels
Suicide attempts, and intentional self-harm
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
A retrospective cohort study of US Veterans supplemented with Vitamin D.
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol),
or Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol),
fill between 2010 and 2018
Matched 1:1 to untreated control veterans
Analyses were repeated in stratified samples
Associations by race (Black or White)
Gender (male or female)
Blood levels
0–19 ng/ml
20–39 ng/ml
40+ ng/ml
and average daily dosage
Further information
Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are prevalent in the US
More than 30% of US military members have been shown to have 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)] levels below 20ng/ml
(deficient)
Vitamin deficiency is particularly prevalent among service members of color and males
Servicemembers and veterans also have elevated suicide attempt and suicide rates
Vitamin D deficiency, associated with depression, fatigue, mood changes (e.g., hopelessness and sadness), suicidal thoughts, anxiety, changes in appetite and weight, insomnia, and forgetfulness
(obesity, schizophrenia, and seasonal affective disorder)
Vitamin D receptors are located in areas of the brain involved in developing depression, including the hippocampus and hypothalamus
Adjuvant treatment of depression with vitamin D supplementation has been recommended
Toxicity has been shown to occur only at doses above 60,000 IU daily over several weeks,
Potentially greater effectiveness of D3
Source