Depression and Anxiety Linked to Brain Shrink
Seasonal depression has reared its head for millions of Americans.
But for millions more, depression and anxiety are present year-round.
In those individuals, antidepressants aren’t always as effective as they’d hope, with estimates showing that these drugs are useless in up to 40 percent of patients.
But adding one key nutrient to those antidepressant meds could make a BIG difference when it comes to symptom relief.
In a recent study, 49 people with major depressive disorder had their vitamin D levels tested, they answered questions to assess the severity of their depression and anxiety symptoms, and they had MRI scans of their brains.
For seven months, they took either their…
- regular antidepressant plus vitamin D3 (1,600 IUs), or
- the antidepressant plus a placebo.
Then, all of the tests were repeated.
Researchers found that those participants who had higher vitamin D levels also had a significantly bigger clinical improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms.
Meanwhile, the placebo group experienced a reduction in white matter in key areas of their brains like, the frontoparietal network, which plays a role in mental health.
However, MRI scans revealed that vitamin D shielded against this harmful brain shrinkage.
This study indicates that vitamin D can play a significant protective role in the brains of people with major depressive disorder.
Since vitamin D is vital for so many aspects of health, it only makes sense for those suffering from any level of depression or anxiety to make sure they have adequate levels.
Spending more time in the sun will raise your levels. And should testing reveal you’re still running low supplements are available.
P.S. Top four nutrients to supercharge your brain health.
View Sources
Zhao W, Zhu DM, Shen Y, et al., The protective effect of vitamin D supplementation as adjunctive therapy to antidepressants on brain structural and functional connectivity of patients with major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Psychol Med. 2024 Jul;54(10):2403-2413. doi: 10.1017/S0033291724000539
