Vitamin D Supplementation for Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review the effects of vitamin D supplementation on depressive symptoms in randomized controlled trials. Although low vitamin D levels have been observationally associated with depressive symptoms, the effect of vitamin D supplementation as an antidepressant remains uncertain. METHODS: MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, PsycINFO, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, and references of included reports (through May 2013) were searched. Two independent reviewers identified and extracted data from randomized trials that compared the effect of vitamin D supplementation on depressive symptoms to a control condition. Two additional reviewers assessed study quality using The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Seven trials (3191 participants) were included. RESULTS: Vitamin D supplementation had no overall effect on depressive symptoms (standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.33 to 0.05, p = .16), although considerable heterogeneity was observed. Subgroup analysis showed that vitamin D supplementation for participants with clinically significant depressive symptoms or depressive disorder had a moderate, statistically significant effect (2 studies: SMD, -0.60; 95% CI, -1.19 to -0.01; p = .046), but a small, nonsignificant effect for those without clinically significant depression (5 studies: SMD, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.20 to 0.12; p = .61). Most trials had unclear or high risk of bias. Studies varied in the amount, frequency, duration, and mode of delivery of vitamin D supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D supplementation may be effective for reducing depressive symptoms in patients with clinically significant depression; however, further high-quality research is needed.
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The trial used the validated Persian version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).
“The trial used the validated Persian version of Beck depression inventory-II (BDI-II) (50)”
From Effects of zinc, vitamin D, and their co-supplementation on mood, serum cortisol, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in patients with obesity and mild to moderate depressive symptoms: A phase II, 12-wk, 2 × 2 factorial design, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (2020) · cites this paper as [50]
The Results (Trial Characteristics; page unavailable) say the reviewed trials used varying instruments to assess depressive symptoms, but do not identify a validated Persian BDI-II. Searches for “Persian” and “BDI-II” found no passage establishing that the trial used that version. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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- Authors
- Shaffer, J. A., Edmondson, D., Wasson, L. T., Falzon, L., Homma, K., Ezeokoli, N., Li, P., & Davidson, K. W.
- Affiliations
- Florida State University (US)
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Shaffer, Jonathan A.
- Venue
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Published
- 2014-04
- Volume
- 76
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 190-196
- ISSN
- 0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4008710
- OpenAlex
- W2044185708
- Cited by
- 227
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 6
- FWCI
- 3.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (K24HL084034, HL088117, K23HL112850, R01HL114924, HL117832, HL114924, HL-084034, P01HL088117, R01HL117832, T32HL007343)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Vitamin D Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutrition and Health Studies
- Keywords
- vitamin D supplementation, depressive symptoms, depression, antidepressant effects, vitamin D deficiency
- MeSH terms
- Antidepressive Agents, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Humans, Vitamin D, Vitamins, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome, Dietary Supplements
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