Randomized study of the effects of vitamin D and/or magnesium supplementation on mood, serum levels of BDNF, inflammation, and SIRT1 in obese women with mild to moderate depressive symptoms
Nutr Neurosci. 2021 Jul 2;1-13. doi: 10.1080/1028415X.2021.1945859 Publisher wants $57 for the PDF
Behnaz Abiri 1, Parvin Sarbakhsh 2, Mohammadreza Vafa 3
Magnesium and / or Vitamin D reduce Depression
- Depression is associated with low Magnesium – meta-analysis April 2015
- Magnesium in Healthcare (Rickets, Stones, Pregnancy, Depression, etc.) with level of evidence – Sept 2017
- Dr. Coimbra discusses Vitamin D, Magnesium, Folic Acid, B12, Autism, Depression, etc – Sept 2018
- Depression strongly associated with low Vitamin D – Review Jan 2020
- Vitamin D reduced depression – single 300,000 IU – RCT Aug 2020
50,000 IU Vitamin D once a week helps a lot
- Yet another study confirms Depression is treated by weekly Vitamin D (50,000 IU)– RCT Dec 2019
- Depression decreased after vitamin D (50,000 IU weekly to elderly in the case) – RCT Oct 2019
- 40,000 IU vitamin D weekly reduced depression in many obese subjects – RCT 2008
- 20 health problems helped by weekly Vitamin D
50,000 IU every two weeks proven to fight
Diabetes + Heart Failure + Chronic Pain + Depression + Autism + Breast Cancer + Colon Cancer + Prostate Cancer + BPH (prostate) + Preeclampsia + Premature Birth + Falls + Cognitive Decline + Respiratory Tract Infection + Influenza + Tuberculosis + Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease + Lupus + Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome + Urinary Tract Infection + Poor Sleep + Growing Pain + Multiple Sclerosis + PMS + Schizophrenia + Endometriosis + Smoking 27 problems
Note: Once a week also fights: COVID, Headaches, Colds, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, Hives, Colitis etc.
Omega-3 also reduces Depression
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of vitamin D and/or magnesium supplementation on mood, serum levels of BDNF, inflammation, and SIRT1 in obese women with mild to moderate depressive symptoms.
Methods: In this trial, the 108 obese women with mild to moderate depressive symptoms were randomly allocated into 4 groups:
- (1) co- supplementation group (n = 27): receiving a 50000 IU vitamin D soft gel weekly + a 250- mg magnesium tablet daily;
- (2) vitamin D group (n = 27): receiving a 50000 IU vitamin D soft gel weekly + a magnesium placebo daily;
- (3) magnesium group (n = 27): receiving a vitamin D placebo weekly + a 250- mg magnesium tablet daily;
- (4) control group (n = 27): receiving a vitamin D placebo weekly + a magnesium placebo daily, for 8 weeks.
Before and after the intervention, anthropometric indices, depressive symptoms, serum levels of BDNF, 25(OH)-D, inflammation, and SIRT1, were measured.
Results: At the end of the study, ANCOVA demonstrated significant differences between the 4 groups in 25(OH)-D, magnesium, TNF-α, IL-6, and BDNF levels. But, we found no significant differences in terms of hs-CRP and SIRT1 levels. A significant reduction in depression score was observed in 3 intervention groups and also in control group. No significant differences in BDI-II score were shown among the 4 groups at the end of the intervention.
Conclusion: Vitamin D plus magnesium supplementation in obese women with mild to moderate depressive symptoms has beneficial influences on mood, serum levels of BDNF, inflammation, and SIRT1.
Comment on study by Dr. Rhonda Patrick
For instance, women who received both magnesium and vitamin D lost more weight over the duration of the intervention compared to all the other groups, in the absence of any observed changes in their dietary patterns. They also showed the greatest average reduction in depression scores over time, although all participants (including controls) exhibited some degree of symptom relief after the eight-week intervention - an observation the researchers attributed in part to the placebo effect.
The women’s blood samples revealed a similar picture, with co-supplementation outperforming all other conditions (although individual supplementation with either vitamin D or magnesium still yielded significant improvements over controls). For instance, combining magnesium and vitamin D achieved the greatest reduction in plasma levels of pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). It also generated the highest boost in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) – a protein widely known for its involvement in regulating autophagy and longevity-promoting genes.
These findings reveal that co-supplementation with a weekly 50,000 IU dose of vitamin D and a daily 250 mg of magnesium can aid weight loss, enhance mood, and improve a host of blood biomarkers pertaining to systemic inflammation, brain functioning, and longevity. Moreover, the fact that positive health outcomes can be observed despite an absence of marked micronutrient deficiencies raises the possibility that current medical guidelines on adequate ranges of plasma levels and RDAs for vitamin D and magnesium, respectively, may be insufficiently high for optimal health outcomes.