Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Serum Concentrations of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Depression in a General Middle-Aged to Elderly Population in Finland

  • Published:
The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

Low concentrations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] have been postulated to associate with an increased prevalence of depression. As there are a limited number of publications on this issue, we examined the association between serum 25(OH)D and depression in a general middle-aged or older population.

Design

A population-based cross-sectional study.

Setting and participants

A total of 1602 men and women from the population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) in Eastern Finland, aged 53-73 y in 1998-2001, were analysed.

Measurements

Depressive symptoms were assessed with the DSM-III depression scale, and those individuals who had scores over 4 (range 0-12) or had reported undergoing current antidepressant therapy, were considered as suffering from depression. Associations were estimated in serum 25(OH)D tertiles using logistic regression.

Results

Among the participants, 183 subjects (11.4%) were considered to have depression. The mean age of the subjects was 62.6 years (SD 6.4, range 53.4- 73.8 years). The mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 43.8 nmol/L (SD 17.7, range 8.5-112.8 nmol/L), concentrations <50 nmol/L were observed in 65.0% of the subjects, and only 5.0% displayed concentrations ≥75 nmol/L. After multivariable adjustments, the odds ratios for having depression in the tertiles (from highest to the lowest) of serum 25(OH)D were 1, 1.35 (95 % CI: 0.87, 2.09) and 1.64 (95 % CI: 1.03, 2.59), P for trend=0.036.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that a lower concentration of serum 25(OH)D is associated with a higher prevalence of depression in an elderly general population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Norman AW, Bouillon R. Vitamin D nutritional policy needs a vision for the future. Exp Biol Med 2010;235:1034–1045.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lamberg-Allardt C, Brustad M, Meyer HE, Steingrimsdottir L. Vitamin D – a systematic literature review for the 5th edition of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. Food Nutr Res 2013;57:22671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bonham MP, Lamberg-Allardt C. Vitamin D in public health nutrition. Public Health Nutr 2014;17:717–720.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Littlejohns TJ, Kos K, Henley WE, Kuzma E, Llewellyn DJ. Vitamin D and dementia. J Prev Alz Dis 2016;3:43–52.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Anglin RES, Samaan Z, Walter SD, McDonald SD. Vitamin D deficiency and depression in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry 2013;202:100–107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Milaneschi Y, Hoogendijk W, Lips P, Heijboer AC, Schoevers R, van Hemert AM, et al. The association between low vitamin D and depressive disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2014;19:444–451.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med 2007;357:266–281.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Holick MF, Chen TC. Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:1080S-6S.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Norman AW. From vitamin D to hormone D: fundamentals of the vitamin D endocrine system essential for good health. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:491S-9S.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Jääskeläinen T, Knekt P, Suvisaari J, Männistö S, Partonen T, Sääksjärvi K, et al. Higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are related to a reduced risk of depression. Brit J Nutr 2015;113:1418–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lee DM, Tajar A, O’Neil TW, O´Connor DB, Bartfai G, Boonen S, et al. Lower vitamin D levels are associated with depression among community-dwelling European men. J Psychopharmacol 2011;25:1320–1328.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Chung HK, Cho Y, Choi S, Shin MJ. The association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and depressive symptoms in Korean adults: findings from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010. PLoS One 2014;9:e99185.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Pan A, Lu L, Franco OH, Yu Z, Li H, Lin X. Association between depressive symptoms and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in middle-aged and elderly Chinese. J Affect Disord 2009;118:240–243.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Zhao G, Ford ES, Li C, Balluz LS. No associations between serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone and depression among US adults. Brit J of Nutr 2010;104:1696–1702.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Imai CM, Halldorsson TI, Eiriksdottir G, Cotch MF, Steingrimsdottir L, Thorsdottir I, et al. Depression and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in older adults living at northern latitudes -AGES-Reykjavik Study. J Nutr Sci. 2015;20;4:e37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Gallagher JC. Vitamin D and aging. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2013;42(2):319–32.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Salonen JT, Nyyssönen K, Korpela H, Tuomilehto J, Seppänen R, Salonen R. High stored iron levels are associated with excess risk of myocardial infarction in eastern Finnish men. Circulation 1992;86:803–811.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Lynch JW, Kaplan GA, Cohen RD, Kauhanen J, Wilson TW, Smith NL, et al. Childhood and adulthood socioeconomic status as predictors of mortality in Finland. Lancet 1994;343:524–527.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Laaksonen DE, Lakka TA, Lakka HM, Nyyssönen K, Rissanen T, Niskanen LK, et al. Serum fatty acid composition predicts development of impaired fasting glycaemia and diabetes in middle-aged men. Diabet Med 2002;19:456–464.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Lakka TA, Venäläinen JM, Rauramaa R, Salonen R, Tuomilehto J, Salonen JT. Relation of leisure-time physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness to the risk of acute myocardial infarction in men. N Engl J Med 1994;330:1549–1554.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Trevisan C, Veronese N, Berton L, Carraro S, Bolzetta F, De Rui M, et al. Factors influencing serum-hydroxivitamin D levels and other bone metabolism parameters in healthy older women. J Nutr Health Aging. 2017;21:131–135.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Voutilainen S, Rissanen TH, Virtanen J, Lakka TA, Salonen JT. Low dietary folate intake is associated with an excess incidence of acute coronary events: the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Circulation 2001;103:2674–2680.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Virtanen JK, Nurmi T, Voutilainen S, Mursu J, Tuomainen TP. Association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with the risk of death in a general older population in Finland. Eur J Nutr 2011;50:305–312.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Oliver JM, Simmons ME. Depression as measured by the DSM-III and the Beck Depression Inventory in an unselected adult population. J Consult Clin Psychol 1984;52:892–898.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Altman DG, Bland JM. Quartiles, quintiles, centiles and other quantiles. BMJ 1994;309:996.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Eyles DW, Smith S, Kinobe R, Hewison M, McGrath JJ. Distribution of the vitamin D receptor and 1a-hydroxylase in human brain. J Chem Neuroanat 2005;29:21–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Bertone-Johnson ER. Vitamin D and the occurrence of depression: causal association or circumstantial evidence? Nutr Rev 2009;67:481–492.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Wang T-T, Tavera-Mendoza LE, Laperriere D, Libby E, MacLeod NB, Nagai Y, et al. Large-scale in silico and microarray-based identification of direct 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 target genes. Mol Endocrinol 2005;19:2685–2695.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Belmaker RH, Agam G. Major depressive disorder. N Engl J Med 2008;358:55–68.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Obradovic D, Gronemeyer H, Lutz B, Rein T. Cross-talk of vitamin D and glucocorticoids in hippocampal cells. J Neurochem 2006;96:500–509.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Berk M, Williams LJ, Jacka FN, O’Neil A, Pasco JA, Moylan S, et al. So depression is an inflammatory disease, but where does the inflammation come from? BMC Medicine 2013;11:200–215.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.BOX 1627, FI-70211, Kuopio, Finland

    M. Vidgren, J. K. Virtanen, T. Nurmi, T.-P. Tuomainen & S. Voutilainen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O.BOX 1627, FI-70211, Kuopio, Finland

    T. Tolmunen

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, P.O.Box 100, FI-70029 KYS, Kuopio, Finland

    Anu Ruusunen

Authors
  1. M. Vidgren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. K. Virtanen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. Tolmunen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T. Nurmi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. T.-P. Tuomainen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. S. Voutilainen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Anu Ruusunen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anu Ruusunen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vidgren, M., Virtanen, J.K., Tolmunen, T. et al. Serum Concentrations of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Depression in a General Middle-Aged to Elderly Population in Finland. J Nutr Health Aging 22, 159–164 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-017-0948-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-017-0948-6

Key words

Search

Navigation