Open AccessVitamin D and mental health during the Covid-19 outbreak
Author(s) -
Séphora Natércia Albuquerque Oliveira,
Modesto Leite Rolim Neto
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
avanços em medicina/avanços em medicina
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2763-6232
pISSN - 2676-0347
DOI - 10.52329/avanmed.32
Subject(s) - vitamin d and neurology , hypovitaminosis , vitamin , observational study , covid-19 , depression (economics) , mental health , medicine , outbreak , psychiatry , psychology , environmental health , vitamin d deficiency , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , macroeconomics
The relationship between hypovitaminosis D and depressive disorder is well documented in the medical literature. However, the biological mechanisms by which vitamin D can modulate psychological distress are still unclear. Containment measures can decrease individual’s exposure to the sun, significantly increasing their needs for vitamin D, a nutrient already deficient in patients with depression. Therefore, it can be inferred that by ingesting the same amount of vitamin D, depressive individuals seem to obtain a lesser amount of this nutrient from the sun's rays when compared to healthy people. We found the relationship between vitamin D and COVID-19 has been increasingly studied, mainly due to the changes that this substance can cause in the inflammatory process - especially in the release of cytokines, in SARS and in lung injuries. Despite the benefits, the existing observational studies on this exchange are not enough to definitively associate vitamin D as a protective factor for COVID-19.