Vitamin D boosts treatment In this study, 42 participants (ages
18 to 65 years) diagnosed with major depressive disorder and who
also had low or borderline-low vitamin D levels were randomly
assigned to receive 20 mg of fluoxetine and 1,500 IU of vitamin
D3, or 20 mg of fluoxetine and a placebo, daily for eight weeks.
Depression symptoms were monitored every two weeks during the
study using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Beck
Depression Inventory questionnaire scores. Results showed that
depression symptoms improved in both groups over the course of
the study, but improvement became significantly more pronounced
in the vitamin D group than in the placebo group starting in the
fourth week of treatment. Symptom scores decreased by more than
50% for the vitamin D group, compared with the medication group.
The study authors comment that about 19 to 34% of people with
major depressive disorder do not have a good response to
antidepressants and that vitamin D supplementation may be “safe
and effective