Vitamin D Deficiency: Your Mood Can Show Signs That You Lack This Vitamin

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that helps the body maintain great teeth and bones. It also helps in protecting you against a number of diseases. The moment that you lack the vitamin, you are bound to experience a host of symptoms, but sometimes, there may be one that you may not even be aware of.

Those who lack vitamin D would show a host of physical signs. Remember that the vitamin helps in supporting the immune system, as well as the nervous system. It also helps the body maintain the right insulin levels, supports the proper functioning of the lungs and the overall cardiovascular health. When you suffer from vitamin D deficiency, you are also missing out on providing your body with the right nutrients.

Experiencing Low Mood

As per Express’ report, if you lack vitamin D, you do not only suffer from physical symptoms associated with the aforementioned body processes, but you will also experience changes in your mood. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to experiencing depression or having a low mood.

This may seem unrelated, but science has a fairly reasonable explanation of why this happens. Accordingly, the deficiency has got something to do with your mental health. If you don’t get the regular amounts of vitamin D from sunlight or from any supplement, it is likely that you will become deficient. A 2011 study even found that in the U.S., around 41.6 of adults lack vitamin D.

A Deeper Look At Vitamin D and Depression

According to a new study made at the Trinity College Dublin by The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, a deficiency of the vitamin was associated with an increased risk of suffering from depression. Aside from this, it was also linked to other conditions, which didn’t have anything to do with the bones. This would include diabetes and inflammation.

In the said study, it looked at Irish adults and examined them again four years after. The post-examination checked whether vitamin D was able to help or create an effect on the group’s risk of developing depression.

As per the result of the study, they saw a 75% increase in the risk of becoming depressed after four years. Although the researchers were not able to exactly pinpoint the cause, what was certain was that ensuring that you are not deficient from vitamin D could help lower the risk of depression.