Taking higher doses of vitamin D during their first two years of life would protect children from anxiety and depressive disorders or social withdrawal as they grow up.
- The VIDI clinical trial studies the impact of increasing the dosage of vitamin D3 supplementation on the growth and development of children.
- The study shows that children who take a dose 3 times greater show fewer signs of depression and anxiety as they grow up.
- Further studies will be needed to confirm these results.
French health authorities recommend supplementation of 400 to 800 IU per day of vitamin D to children aged 0 to 18 years. In view of the results of a Finnish study published in the journal JAMA Network Openit could be good for the mental health of younger people to increase this dose further.
Link between vitamin D and childhood depression discovered
The Finnish work, which is part of the clinical trial VIDI (Vitamin D Intervention in Infants), began with 987 infants born at term, 546 were then followed up at the age of 6 to 8 years. They were divided into two groups: one receiving the standard daily dose of 400 IU of vitamin D3 and the other triple the amount (1,200 IU). The supplements were taken daily from 2 weeks of age to 2 years of age. Subsequently, the parents of 346 young volunteers assessed their child’s psychiatric symptoms using a questionnaire.
Analysis of the data collected shows that toddlers who received a triple dose of vitamin D3 had fewer symptoms of internalized disorders than those who received the normal amount. That is, they showed fewer signs of depression, anxiety, withdrawal behaviors or psychosomatic disorders.
Vitamin D and mental health: more research needed
In detail, parents reported internalized disorders in 11.8% of children who had received the standard dose of vitamin D3 until the age of 2 years. The rate was only 5.6% for those who had the quantity tripled. On the other hand, the researchers did not detect any differences between the two groups regarding externalizing problems, such as aggressive behavior and breaking rules.
“The results and their potential implications are interesting, but further research is needed to confirm the results. In interpreting the data, it should be noted, among other things, that we only studied psychiatric symptoms as reported by the parents. Additionally, the study participants were children of Nordic ancestry living in Finland who had good levels of vitamin D.”explains Samuel Sandboge, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tampere and responsible for the work in a communicated.
