A small study presented at the Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston is adding thought to the case that vitamin D deficiency is linked to depression.

Delaware endocrinologist Dr. Sonai Pathak presented the case of three women whose vitamin D blood levels ranged from 9-15 ng/ml — severely deficient in the sunshine vitamin by accepted standards. Their symptoms improved after therapy raised their levels above 30 ng/ml. Pathak considers her small study preliminary, but it does contribute to earlier work on this topic.

Seasonal Affective Disorder — winter blues — has been linked to sunlight deprivation and vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Norman Rosenthal — the National Institutes of Health researcher who first coined the term S.A.D. — sent clients to sunbeds as a self-treatment for the disorder. UV exposure triggers the production of beta-endorphins in the skin, believed to be linked to correcting seasonal depression.

To read the report on Pathak’s study click here.

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