New Depression reduced: 7% by Vitamin D, 7% by physical exercise, 23% by the combination

Synergistic impact of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and physical activity on incident depression: Evidence from a prospective cohort and genome-wide data

J Affect Disord 2025 Jun 1:378:235-241. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.004 PDF is behind a $38 paywall, but references are free

Xin Xu 1, Fengshi Jing 2, Huiyuan Zhong 1, Lulu Lin 1, Tianyu Gao 3, Weibin Cheng 4, Zhongzhi Xu 5

Background: The relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels, physical activity (PA), and depression risk remains underexplored. This study examines how combinations of 25(OH)D and PA influence depression.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal analysis using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, including cognitively healthy adults aged 50 years and older at baseline. Baseline measurements of PA and 25(OH)D were taken, with depression as the primary outcome. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used, with and without interaction terms. Furthermore, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed.

Results: A total of 4146 participants (mean age: 66.0 years; 52.1 % female) were followed for eight years.

Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for depression were

0.71 (95 % CI: 0.61-0.83) for those with high 25(OH)D and
PA (P = 0.005),
- 0.79 (95 % CI: 0.63-0.99) for those younger than 65 (P = 0.042), and
- 0.65 (95 % CI: 0.53-0.80) for those 65 and older (P = 0.041).

A significant interaction between low 25(OH)D and PA was found in the younger group (HR: 1.43, 95 % CI: 1.03-1.99, P = 0.034).

High 25(OH)D and PA independently reduced depression risk by 7.2 % and 7.7 %, respectively, with a 23.1 % reduction when combined . Mendelian randomization confirmed these findings.

Conclusions: High 25(OH)D levels are linked to lower depression risk. The combination of high 25(OH)D and PA provides synergistic protection, particularly in older adults, emphasizing the need for vitamin D supplementation and PA in depression prevention.

VitaminDWiki – Depression contains

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Perplexity AI confirms - more exercise, less depression

The association between exercise and depression is significant and beneficial.

Research consistently shows that physical activity is linked to a reduced risk of depression and can alleviate depressive symptoms1 3.

Key findings on the exercise-depression association include:

Dose-response relationship: An inverse curvilinear association exists between physical activity and depression risk, with steeper benefits observed at lower activity levels1 3.
Risk reduction: Adults accumulating half the recommended volume of physical activity (4.4 marginal metabolic equivalent task hours per week) had an 18% lower risk of depression compared to inactive individuals3.
Optimal benefit: Those achieving the recommended volume of 8.8 mMET hours per week (equivalent to 2.5 hours of brisk walking) experienced a 25% lower risk of depression1 3.
Prevention potential: If less active adults had met current physical activity recommendations, an estimated 11.5% of depression cases could have been prevented3.
Types of effective exercise: Walking, jogging, yoga, and strength training appear to be particularly effective in treating depression4.
Mechanisms: Exercise may benefit mental health through various pathways, including acute neuroendocrine responses (e.g., "runner's high"), changes in brain neural architecture, improved self-perceptions, and increased social interactions1.
Long-term effects: Studies have shown that the positive effects of exercise on depression can be maintained even months after the intervention2.

The evidence strongly suggests that health practitioners should encourage any increase in physical activity to improve mental health, as even small amounts of exercise can provide significant benefits in reducing the risk of depression1 3.

Citations:

Unable to confirm this synergism, but Perplexity AI documents why it is possible

The closest study found Vitamin D helped along with exercise to decrease depression.

The amount of vitamin D used, the amount of exercise, and the amount of benefit are all behind a paywall

Effects of eight weeks of aerobic exercise and vitamin D supplementation on psychiatric comorbidities in men with migraine and vitamin D insufficiency: A randomized controlled clinical trial - May 2023 doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.108.