Letters
By Science News
New light on sunshine vitamin
Regarding the article “The power of D” (SN: 7/16/11, p. 22), I was very surprised that there was no mention of the positive effects of this vitamin on the debilitating effects of depression. I have lived in northern latitudes between upstate New York and now Vermont since my birth in 1954. My mother reminds me how she used to worry about the annual return of my severe depression as a young child, which turned more serious in January. I have childhood memories of colds, bronchitis and pneumonia.
However, after attending a lecture in Lenox, Mass., two years ago on the subject of vitamin D, I have been taking larger doses of vitamin D and my depression has virtually disappeared.
When my doctor learned that I was doing this, he shared his concern about potential toxicity. But tests showed my blood levels for vitamin D were normal. I would imagine that everyone has to define the exact amounts right for their body for themselves, but I do know that this little golden and translucent pill has saved my life.
Liz Winn, Marshfield, Vt.
Many studies have linked vitamin D deficiency with depression. A German study in 2000 found that people with depression had lower levels of vitamin D than those without the condition, and in 1999 a U.S. study showed that a megadose of vitamin D (100,000 IU) resulted in improvement in depression scores in people with seasonal affective disorder. A third study in Norway in 2008 randomly assigned depressed, overweight people to get vitamin D supplements or placebos for a year without knowing which. Those receiving vitamin D showed substantial improvement; those on placebo did not. — Nathan Seppa