Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Depression in Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs).

Vitamin D is a nutrient potentially beneficial in the treatment of depression. The study aimed to carry out a systematic review of the studies assessing the influence of vitamin D supplementation on depression within Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs). The systematic review was prepared on the basis of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (CRD42020155779). The peer-reviewed studies available within PubMed or Web of Science databases until September 2021 were taken into account. The number of screened records was 8514, and 8 records were included. Two independent researchers conducted screening, including, reporting, and risk of bias assessment using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. The included studies presented a population of patients with major depressive disorders or general depression, as well as bipolar depression or postpartum depression. The majority of included studies were conducted for 8 weeks or 12 weeks, while one study was conducted for 6 months. Within the large number of included studies, a daily dose of 1500 IU, 1600 IU, or 2800 IU was applied, while within some studies, a vitamin D dose of 50,000 IU was applied weekly or biweekly. Among applied psychological measures of depression, there were various tools. In spite of the fact that the majority of included studies (five studies) supported the positive effect of vitamin D supplementation for the psychological measure of depression, for three studies the positive influence was not supported. A medium risk of bias was indicated for six studies, while a high risk of bias was defined for only two studies, due to deviations from the intended interventions and in measurement of the outcome, as well as for one study, also arising from the randomization process and due to missing outcome data. Based on conducted assessment, it should be emphasized that there are only four studies supporting the positive influence of vitamin D supplementation for the psychological measure of depression of the medium risk of bias, while two studies of a medium risk of bias did not support it. Taking this into account, the conducted systematic review is not a strong confirmation of the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of depression.

Supplementation of Vitamin D and Mental Health in Adults with Respiratory System Diseases: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Vitamin D is indicated to be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of both respiratory health and mental health problems, while mental health issues are a common consequence of diseases of the respiratory system. The aim of the presented systematic review was to gather available evidence regarding the influence of the supplementation of vitamin D on mental health in adults with respiratory system diseases obtained within randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The systematic review was conducted on the basis of the PubMed and Web of Science databases in agreement with the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), while being registered within the database of the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42020155779). A total of 8514 studies published before September 2021 were screened and 5 RCTs were included, which were assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Screening, inclusion, reporting, and assessment were conducted by two researchers independently. The studies focused on the assessment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but also increased susceptibility to respiratory tract infections, pulmonary tuberculosis, and bronchial asthma. The studies were conducted for various periods of time-from 2 months to a year-while the dose of vitamin D applied was also diverse-from 4000 IU applied daily, to 100,000 IU applied weekly, or monthly. The psychological measures applied within the studies allowed the assessment, mainly, of quality of life, but also well-being, and depression. For the majority of studies, some concerns regarding risk of bias were defined, resulting from the randomization process and selection of reported results; however, for one study, the risk was even defined as high. Within the included studies, three studies confirmed a beneficial effect of vitamin D (including those with a high risk of bias), but two studies did not confirm it. Taking into account the evidence gathered, in spite of a positive influence of vitamin D on mental health in individuals with increased susceptibility to respiratory tract infections and bronchial asthma, the conducted systematic review is not a strong confirmation of the beneficial effect of the supplementation of vitamin D on mental health in adults with respiratory system diseases.

Determinants of Dietary Vitamin D Intake in Population-Based Cohort Sample of Polish Female Adolescents.

Vitamin D has a pleiotropic effect and its deficiency is a risk factor for many diseases. The purpose of this study was to analyze the dietary intake of vitamin D and the factors determining this intake by female post-primary school students in Poland. The study was conducted on a nationwide sample of 4469 female Polish adolescents (aged 14-20) recruited from all regions across Poland. The vitamin D intake was assessed using VIDEO-FFQ (Vitamin D Estimation Only-Food Frequency Questionnaire). The median dietary vitamin D intake was 2.33 µg per day and it was lower than the 15 µg recommended in Poland for more than 98% of the group. The highest vitamin D intake per day was noted for fish (0.52 µg), whereas the lowest was noted for fats (0.04 µg). Factors that influenced the dietary vitamin D intake were the amount and species of fish consumed, region of residence, use of vitamin D supplements, and vegetarian or vegan diets. In contrast, vitamin D intake did not depend on body mass index and age. Based on the results of the survey, it can be concluded that the alarmingly low intake of vitamin D by Polish female adolescents is a result of the limited supply of vitamin D primarily from fish and fish products. This may be due to insufficient nutritional knowledge, indicating an urgent need to educate the surveyed population in this area.

Vitamin D Supplementation and Mental Health in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Systematic Review.

Vitamin D has a promising role in multiple sclerosis (MS) management, and it has been found to be beneficial for patients' mental health, which is reduced in MS patients. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to assess the influence of vitamin D supplementation on mental health in MS patients. The systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42020155779) and it was conducted on the basis of the PRISMA guidelines. The search procedure was conducted using PubMed and Web of Science databases and it included studies published up until September 2021. Six studies were included in the systematic review. The risk of bias was analyzed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Within the included studies, there were two studies randomized against placebo and four other prospective studies. The studies presented vitamin D interventions randomized against placebo or not randomized, while supplementation was applied for various durations-from 4 weeks to 12 months, or the studies compared patients who applied vitamin D supplementation and those who did not apply it and verified the effect of the supplementation after a number of years. The mental health outcomes that were assessed included quality of life, depression/depressive symptoms, and fatigue as an additional element. The majority of studies supported the positive influence of vitamin D on the mental health of MS patients, including the study characterized as having the highest quality (randomized against placebo with the highest NOS score). All the studies that assessed the quality of life indicated the positive influence of vitamin D while the studies that did not find a positive influence of vitamin D were conducted for depression/depressive symptoms. In spite of the fact that only a small number of studies have been conducted so far, and only two studies were randomized against a placebo, some conclusions may be formulated. The systematic review allowed us to conclude that there may be a positive effect of vitamin D supplementation in MS patients, which was stated in all of the studies analyzing quality of life, as well as in one study analyzing depressive symptoms. Considering that vitamin D deficiency is common in MS patients, and the potential positive influence of supplementation on the quality of life, supplementation should be applied at least in doses that cover the recommended intake.

Association between Vitamin D Supplementation and Mental Health in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review.

Vitamin D is considered to be a crucial factor that influences symptoms of depression, negative emotions, and quality of life, but to date, no systematic review has been conducted with regard to its effect on other domains of mental health. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of vitamin D supplementation on mental health in healthy adults. The systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42020155779) and performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The literature search was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science databases and included intervention studies published until October 2019. The human studies were included if the supplementation regimen involved the administration of a specified dosage of vitamin D to an adult sample. A total of 7613 records were screened and assessed independently by two researchers, based on their title, abstract, and full text sequentially. Finally, 14 studies were included, and their risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The studies were included if they presented the results of various doses of vitamin D, compared the supplementation results with the placebo effect, compared the outcome with no supplementation, or observed effect of specific dose applied. The assessed mental health outcomes mainly included depressive symptoms, or depression, well-being, quality of life, mood, general mental component, and anxiety, but single studies also included other parameters such as distress, impression of improvement, and fear of falling and flourishing. The results of the majority of studies did not confirm a positive influence of vitamin D supplementation. None of the high-quality studies (assessed using NOS), which evaluated outcomes other than depression, supported the hypothesis that vitamin D supplementation effectively ameliorates mental health issues, while they present conflicting evidence for depression. Some studies indicated that supplementation should be combined with physical activity to provide effective results, and that supplementation is less effective than vitamin D supply from food sources. The included studies were conducted in diverse populations and followed various doses and intervals of administration, so the results may be incomparable, which should be considered as a limitation. The conducted systematic review did not provide strong evidence for a positive effect of vitamin D supplementation on mental health in healthy adults.

Influence of Vitamin D Supplementation on Mental Health in Diabetic Patients: A Systematic Review.

Diabetes is associated with a number of mental health consequences, including enhanced risk of depression and anxiety, as well as decreased quality of life, and vitamin D deficiency is considered to be one of the factors that influence these outcomes in diabetic patients. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature presenting the data regarding the influence of vitamin D supplementation on mental health in diabetic adults. This study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (Registration number CRD42020155779). A systematic search of the PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed, and the intervention studies published until September 2021 were included in the review. The human studies were included if an adult sample of diabetic individuals received vitamin D supplementation during the intervention and its effect on any mental health aspect was assessed, but studies presenting the influence of combined supplementation of multiple nutrients were excluded. After removing duplicate records, a total of 8514 publications were screened and assessed independently by two researchers, based on their title, abstract, and full text. Finally, six studies were included in the current systematic review, and the risk of bias was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The included studies analyzed the influence of a specific dose of vitamin D, or different doses of vitamin D, or compared the results of supplementation with a specific dose of vitamin D against the placebo group. The supplementation was performed for at least 12 weeks. The mental health outcomes analyzed in these studies included health-related quality of life, depression, anxiety, stress, and general mental health status of adult diabetic patients. The results of the majority of the studies confirmed the positive influence of vitamin D supplementation on the mental health of diabetic individuals. Those studies that analyzed the influence of vitamin D supplementation on depression and anxiety established the beneficial effect of the vitamin. In some studies, the influence of vitamin D supplementation on the health-related quality of life was not considered unless combined with mindfulness training. However, it must be emphasized that different dosage regimens and intervention periods were followed in the reviewed studies, and only a small number of studies were randomized against placebo, which should be considered as a limitation of the present study. The findings of the conducted systematic review demonstrated the positive influence of vitamin D supplementation on the mental health of diabetic patients, which was proved for anxiety and depression, but in the case of health-related quality of life, the positive effect was observed only when the intervention included mindfulness training. These outcomes suggest that supplementation should be recommended to improve the vitamin D status and the mental health of patients in this group.

Vitamin D Supplementation and Mental Health in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients: A Systematic Review.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are associated with decreased quality of life and mental health problems. Among various approaches to supportive therapy that aims to improve mental health in affected individuals, vitamin D supplementation is considered to be an effective method which may also be beneficial in alleviating the symptoms during the course of IBDs and IBS. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature presenting the data regarding the influence of vitamin D supplementation on mental health in adults with inflammatory and functional bowel diseases, including IBDs and IBS. This study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (Registration number CRD42020155779). A systematic search of the PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed, and the intervention studies published until September 2021 were included. The human studies eligible to be included in the review should have described any intervention involving vitamin D as a supplement in a group of adult patients suffering from IBDs and/or IBS and should have assessed any component of mental health, but studies presenting the effects of combined supplementation of multiple nutrients were excluded. After eliminating the duplicates, a total of 8514 records were screened and assessed independently by two researchers. Further evaluation was carried out on the basis of title, abstract, and full text. Finally, 10 studies (four for IBDs and six for IBS) were selected for the current systematic review, and their quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The studies analyzed the influence of various doses of vitamin D on bowel diseases, compared the results of vitamin D supplementation with placebo, or administered specific doses of vitamin D to obtain the required level in the blood. Supplementation was performed for at least 6 weeks. The analyzed mental health outcomes mainly included disease-specific quality of life/quality of life, anxiety, and depression. The majority of studies (including high-quality ones) confirmed the positive effect of vitamin D supplementation on the mental health of IBD and IBS patients, which was proven by all research works evaluating anxiety and depression and by the majority of research works evaluating quality of life. Although the studies followed different dosage regimens and supplementation protocols, the positive influence of vitamin D on mental health was found to be consistent. The number of studies on patients suffering from ulcerative colitis and the availability of trials randomized against the placebo group was low in the current review, which is considered to be a limitation of the present study and could also reflect the final outcome of the analysis. The conducted systematic review established the positive effect of vitamin D supplementation on the mental health of IBD and IBS patients, but this result requires further investigation, particularly in relation to other mental health outcomes.

The Influence of Vitamin D Intake and Status on Mental Health in Children: A Systematic Review.

A potential role of vitamin D in some components of mental health is currently suggested, but the analyses are conducted mainly for adults, while for young individuals mental health is especially important, due to its lifelong effects. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between vitamin D intake or status and mental health in children within a systematic review of literature, including both intervention and observational studies. The literature search was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and it covered peer-reviewed studies included in databases of PubMed and Web of Science until October 2019. The studies presenting either vitamin D intake, or vitamin D status in human subjects were allowed (excluding subjects with intellectual disabilities, eating disorders and neurological disorders), while for mental health the various methods of assessment and wide scope of factors were included. The bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42020155779). A number of 7613 studies after duplicate removing were extracted by two independent researchers, followed by screening and assessment for eligibility, conducted by two independent researchers in two steps (based on title and abstract). Afterwards, the full texts were obtained and after reviewing, a number of 24 studies were included. The synthetic description of the results was prepared, structured around exposure (vitamin D supplementation/status) and outcome (components of mental health). The included studies were conducted either in groups of healthy individuals, or individuals with mental health problems, and they assessed following issues: behavior problems, violence behaviors, anxiety, depressive symptoms/depression, aggressive disorder, psychotic features, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, suicidal incident, as well as general patterns, as follows: mental health, level of distress, quality of life, well-being, mood, sleep patterns. The vast majority of assessed studies, including the most prominent ones (based on the NOS score) supported potential positive influence of vitamin D on mental health in children. As a limitation of the analysis, it should be indicated that studies conducted so far presented various studied groups, outcomes and psychological measures, so more studies are necessary to facilitate comparisons and deepen the observations. Nevertheless, vitamin D intake within a properly balanced diet or as a supplementation, except for a safe sun exposure, should be indicated as an element supporting mental health in children, so it should be recommended to meet the required 25(OH)cholecalciferol blood level in order to prevent or alleviate mental health problems.

Beer consumption negatively regulates hormonal reproductive status and reduces apoptosis in Leydig cells in peripubertal rats.

Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages consumed by young people. Ethanol intake is associated with harmful effects to the reproductive system. Bioactive compounds present in beer may diminish the toxics effect of ethanol. However, there is still little knowledge about the effect of beer consumption on hormonal regulation of male reproduction in organisms exposed to alcohol after the peripubertal age. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the influence of beer intake on plasma reproductive hormones, immunolocalization of cleaved caspase-3 (casp-3), and the level of the neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in Leydig cells (LCs) in adolescent male Wistar rats. The animals, beginning at the age of 30 days, drank beer (10% ethanol; B2 group [2 weeks' exposure] and B4 group [4 weeks' exposure]), 10% ethanol solution (CE2 group [2 weeks' exposure] and CE4 group [4 weeks' exposure]), or water (C2 group [2 weeks' exposure] and C4 group [4 weeks' exposure]). Rats drinking beer for 4 weeks showed higher phenolic acid intake compared to rats drinking beer for 2 weeks. Rats exposed to beer for 4 weeks showed decreased plasma levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and 17ß-estradiol (E2) (3.173 ng/mL and 11.49 pg/mL, respectively), compared to the CE4 (5.293 ng/mL and 43.912 pg/mL, respectively) and the C4 groups (5.002 ng/mL and 41.121 pg mL, respectively). Expression of cleaved caspase-3 in LCs was lower in the B4 group rats, compared to the CE4 group rats (ID score: 1.676 vs. 2.190). No changes in nNOS expression were observed. Beer consumption revealed a similar negative effect on hormonal regulation of male reproductive function, but lower apoptosis in LCs may be beneficial for steroidogenic activity.

The effect of red wine consumption on hormonal reproductive parameters and total antioxidant status in young adult male rats.

Very little is known about the effects of red wine consumption on male reproductive functions. Here we report the effect of regular drinking of different types of red wine on hormonal reproductive parameters and total antioxidant status in young adult male rats. Dry red wine (D-RW) exerted higher antioxidant activity and was characterized by higher concentration of phenolic compounds compared to semi-dry (SD-RW), sweet (S-RW) and semi-sweet (SS-RW) wines. No differences in total antioxidant status of rat plasma after six weeks of drinking of the wines were detected. Increased plasma follicle-stimulating hormone levels in S-RW versus control and D-RW (5.26 vs. 3.06 and 3.21 ng mL(-1)) groups were found. The plasma testosterone concentration was lower in D-RW compared to control, SD-RW, S-RW and SS-RW groups (0.25 vs. 1.12, 1.09, 1.54 and 1.25 ng mL(-1)). Higher plasma 17ß-estradiol level in S-RW versus SD-RW and SS-RW (10.94 vs. 7.18 and 6.72 pg mL(-1)) group was stated. The prolactin level was higher in plasma of S-RW versus D-RW and SS-RW (17.35 vs. 9.74 and 8.59 ng mL(-1)) rats. The effects of red wine drinking on the hormonal regulation of the male reproductive system depend on the type and the dose of red wine. Chemical compounds naturally occurring in red wines (i.e. phenolics) may modulate the effects of ethyl alcohol, but also directly affect the male reproduction.

Effects of high-fat diets on body composition, hypothalamus NPY, and plasma leptin and corticosterone levels in rats.

We investigated the adipogenic effects of high-fat diets with different fat sources, as well as their influence on hypothalamus NPY content (NPY) and plasma corticosterone (Cs) and leptin (Lep) concentrations. In a 6-wk experiment performed in 28 male Wistar rats, high-fat diets (approx 60% of energy as fat) containing sunflower oil (S), rapeseed oil (R), palm oil (P), or lard (L) as the fat source were applied. Carcass composition was analyzed by standard methods; NPY, Cs, and Lep were determined by RIA method. Gas chromatography was applied to measure fatty acid composition of dietary fats. S group had the highest body fat content and Lep and the lowest Cs and NPY, while L rats had high Lep and the highest Cs and NPY. We conclude that the fatty acid composition of dietary fat is of high importance where effects of high fat diets on adiposity, as well as on plasma levels of both hormones and hypothalamus NPY content are concerned.