Vitamin D and depression in adults: A systematic review

Authors

  • Vlad Dionisie Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0075-0050
  • Mihnea Alexandru Gaman Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania; Department of Hematology, Center for Clinical and Basic Research (CCBR Clinic), Bucharest, Romania; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7133-8875
  • Cristina Anghele Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Discipline of Psychiatry, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
  • Mihnea Costin Manea Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
  • Maria Gabriela Puiu Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
  • Iulia-Ioana Stanescu-Spinu Discipline of Physiology, Department – Dentistry III, Faculty of Dentistry, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
  • Octavian-Ilarian Baiu “Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia” Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry, Bucharest, Romania
  • Florian Antonescu Department of Neurology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania; National Institute of Neurology and Neurovascular Diseases, Bucharest, Romania
  • Mirela Manea Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
  • Adela Magdalena Ciobanu Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Discipline of Psychiatry, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bb.2025.12331

Keywords:

Vitamin D, cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol, calcitriol, deficiency, major depressive disorder, depression, mood disorders

Abstract

Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Although the pathogenesis of depression remains far from fully understood, current research suggests a potential role for vitamin D due to its involvement in brain functioning. Moreover, vitamin D supplementation has shown promising results in the treatment of patients with depression. Therefore, the present study aimed to systematically review the available research investigating the association between vitamin D levels and the onset of depression. This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and the protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (registration number: CRD42024515918). A search was performed across PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases, yielding a total of 8,052 potentially eligible articles. After the removal of duplicates and ineligible records, and exclusion based on title and abstract screening, 297 original full-text articles were assessed according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ultimately, 66 articles were included in this systematic review. Most of the included studies employed a cross-sectional design (N=46). Overall, the data analyzed in this review indicate an association between depression and vitamin D serum levels, particularly in studies using cross-sectional designs. Only a few longitudinal studies demonstrated that lower vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms or major depressive disorder, highlighting an important research gap. However, it remains to be established through future research whether acute or chronic vitamin D supplementation could have a protective effect against the development of depression.

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Vitamin D and depression in adults: A systematic review

Additional Files

Published

30-04-2025

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Section

Systematic review/Meta analysis

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How to Cite

1.
Vitamin D and depression in adults: A systematic review. Biomol Biomed [Internet]. 2025 Apr. 30 [cited 2025 May 1];. Available from: https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/12331