Vitamin D and the winter blues

Guest · Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:21 am Post subject: Vitamin D and the winter blues

With the shorter days of winter coming, I want to get enough vitamin D to fight off the “winter blues” from lack of sunlight. Are there supplements that can help?

Brett Kelly · alive Expert Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Posts: 1

You are right to be concerned about getting enough vitamin D because input from the sun is usually not sufficient in the winter, especially in higher latitudes.

It is well known that vitamin D deficiency may impair bone health, but recent medical studies also associate vitamin D deficiency with cancer, heart disease, depression, diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, periodontal (gum) disease, and even obesity. Older people have a higher risk of developing vitamin D deficiency, and seniors should consider supplementation year-round.

Daily supplementation with 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)—the more active form—is recommended. Vitamin D also requires vitamin C, zinc, copper, and manganese to convert to its hormonal form in the body. Ensuring that adequate quantities of these nutrients are consumed daily via diet and supplements will help with this conversion.

In addition to lowered vitamin D production from lack of sunlight, the levels of serotonin, the “happy hormone,” drop with reduced sunlight exposure, leading to seasonal affective disorder. Symptoms can include carbohydrate cravings, excessive eating, weight gain, insomnia, fibromyalgia, PMS, and low libido.

Supplements that support serotonin levels are niacin, vitamin B6, magnesium, inositol, 5-HTP, L-tyrosine, and the herbs rhodiola and St. John’s wort. Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically fish oils containing both EPA and DHA, have shown excellent results in research and clinical studies to support proper mood and fight depression.

Guest · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:18 pm Post subject:

Great advice, but what if you do not like taking pills?? is there any foods rich in those specific vitamins?

Boss · Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 93 Location: The end of a wire.

A lot of Dairy Products contain Vit D, and a lot of foods that have Fat in them, as Vit D is a Fat soluable Vitamins, and these foods also have good healthy Fats in them.

Also foods like Soy products, Nuts, Avocados, Omega Eggs, Flax, Fatty Fish, Peanuts, Possibly Lentils, also Meat to some extent in many cases has some healthy Fat, and Healthy fat is also in things like Sunseed, Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, CLA, Coconut Oil etc etc.

Spur9 · Guest

Despite popular belief, it has not been proven that Vitamin D deficiency directly causes depression or winter blues. For me, it helps to go tanning for just 5-10 minutes once a week as soon as the days get shorter in early November. I come out feeling like I've been napping at the beach. But, I don't get severe winter blues so this might not be a solution for everyone.

This is direct from vitamindcouncil.org:

"...Therefore, vitamin D may help major depression. It is too early to say. To know for sure, patients with severe major depression would have to have baseline 25(OH)D blood levels, be treated with doses of vitamin D adequate to raise their levels to at least 35 ng/mL for several months and be compared to a normal control group treated with placebo. No one has ever published such a study.

However, it is not to early to heed the following advice: If you suffer from depression, get your 25(OH)D level checked and, if it is lower than 35 ng/mL (87 nM/L), you are vitamin D deficient and should begin treatment. If you are not depressed, get your 25(OH)D level checked anyway. If it is lower than 35 ng/mL (87 nM/L), you are vitamin D deficient and should begin treatment."

Read the entire article here: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/depression.shtml

Boss · Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 93 Location: The end of a wire.

Not being rude, but tanning can increase Skin Cancer risk, by potentially 50% or more after one use.

Certainly reccomendations place sessions at no more than 20 a year, which is roughly 1 every 18 days, or to be on the safe side 1 ever 3 weeks, which is roughly 17 a year.

It would arguably be better to use synthetic D, Calcitriol.

As I say, not being rude, just saying.