Saturday 14 July 2012

The Vitamin That Could Beat Depression

                                                      The Vitamin That Could Beat Depression

Could the sunshine vitamin cure the blues? Perhaps: Short-term mega-doses of vitamin D may reduce signs of depression, according to Sonal Pathak, M.D., an endocrinologist in Dover, Delaware who recently introduced the findings of her tiny case study at The Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting in Houston.

A handful of earlier studies have found a link between low vitamin D levels and depression.

At first, I noticed that plenty of of my patients who had signs of depression were also vitamin D-deficient, says Dr. Pathak.When I'd correct the deficiency they unanimously experienced an improvement in mood & energy. I decided I' quantify the change in mood among the next patients I treated with vitamin D.

After identifying the tiny sample of vitamin-D deficient patients for her study, Dr. Pathak asked the participants to take a standardized depression signs survey. Next, he treated patients with a prescription-strength dose of 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 one time a week for eight weeks followed by one,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day for more weeks the standard way of quickly correcting a vitamin D deficiency.

When patients took the depression survey again 12 weeks after beginning the study, Dr. Pathak found that signs improved among all of them. Since no other factors in the patients lives changed in the work of that time, they can attribute the effects to vitamin D, Dr. Pathak says.

How might D defeat depression? The vitamin is prevalent in areas of the brain associated with behavior & emotion, such as the amygdala & hippo campus, so when levels are low they can't function like they're supposed to, they says. Vitamin D is also involved in the release of definite neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, & epinephrine the same ones lots of antidepressants are designed to target.

Next, I'm hoping to do a large-scale randomized study with a control group to see if the findings pan out again, says Dr. Pathak. If it does, there might be a used option for patients with depression.

Since the study was tiny, it's early to say if vitamin D can beat depression. Meanwhile, see your doc in case you think you might be depressed, and click here for five Natural Mood-Boosters that can help.

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