Could vitamin D help ward off suicide?

Medical Xpress / HealthDay / PLOS ONE ^ | Feb 2, 2023 | Amy Norton / Jill E. Lavigne et al

[ConservativeMind]

A new study hints that treating low vitamin D levels with supplements might have a critical benefit for certain people: a decreased risk of attempting suicide.

Researchers found that those prescribed vitamin D were nearly 50% less likely to attempt suicide over eight years, versus those who were not prescribed the supplements.

At the same time, it's known that vitamin D deficiency can cause depression-like symptoms, including mood changes and chronic fatigue, said Dr. Christine Crawford.

Crawford, who was not involved in the study, said that in her practice, she often has patients with depression symptoms tested for blood levels of vitamin D, as well as vitamin B12, folic acid and thyroid hormones. (Deficiencies in those vitamins, or thyroid hormone disturbances, can also cause depressive symptoms.)

Vitamin D supplements contain either of two forms of the vitamin: D2 (ergocalciferol) or D3 (cholecalciferol). Most of the veterans on supplements were taking vitamin D3. In that group, 0.2% were treated for attempted suicide or self-harm during the study period. That compared with 0.36% of veterans not prescribed vitamin D.

There was a similar pattern among veterans prescribed vitamin D2: The rate was 0.27% who attempted suicide or otherwise harmed themselves, versus 0.52% of veterans without vitamin D prescriptions.

When the researchers weighed other factors, like physical and mental health conditions, vitamin D supplementation was still linked to a 45% to 48% lower risk of attempting suicide.

And it turned out that the association was strongest among veterans who had low vitamin D to start (blood levels lower than 20 ng/mL), and among Black veterans.

[Colt1851Navy]

Guess Epstein didn’t hear about this?

[goodnesswins]

I hope you get tested...

[MayflowerMadam]

I just had a thorough blood panel in December. Everything is great, including D. I do try to keep a close eye on it. I think I take too much calcium but I do have osteoporosis and what I take is what is prescribed.

Anyhow, I appreciate your tip! Thank you.

[TigersEye]

Thank you for your concern but I stay far away from doctors even though I did spend the first 18 years of my life living with one.

About 10-15 years ago someone regularly posted threads about Vit. D3 studies, dozens of them for multiple suspected benefits, and many of them were based on intakes far beyond 15,000 IUs per day. The safe upper limits were very high.

[Ezekiel]

◗
The sunshine vitamin

It *is* the sun, lounging on the horizon:

It's like that message on the sign I saw on street view yesterday where that train derailment occurred:

"The shapes that dreams are made of"

⯊

It was a half round transom window on a now-closed window business. The ghost sign on the tracks-side of the building says "Adamson Specialties". Can't miss it.

Son of Man.

I thought, well it's like what the Reverend Mother said, only turned around:

"When the Lord closes a window, somewhere he opens a door."

Then as soon as I spun the view around 180 degrees from the Adamson sign, I saw that the old bricks on the building on the other side of the tracks had become white in such a way that they formed a huge letter dalet [ד], which means "door". Can't miss it.

The above link has the address if anyone wants to check it out.

It even has its own stairs to reach to the top.

All in the outlook, how to see out.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
(Isaiah 40:3)

Keep on the Sunnyside ~ Johnny Cash

What or who else is just lying around, awaiting his big turn to rise and shine?

[Salvavida]

A prolonged fast is even better, for all types of depression/anxiety.

[steve86]

“I take a pill of 5,0000 IUs daily, plus there’s D3 in my multi and in my calcium citrate Still here; not suicidal.”

5,000, I assume. It would be more impressive if you were suicidal before starting the D but not afterward.

[steve86]

“A prolonged fast is even better, for all types of depression/anxiety.”

Also cures cancer, dementia, heart disease, and long COVID. BIG /s

[ladyjane]

Vitamin D is not like other vitamins that are water soluble. It is fat soluble and can accumulate in your body.

[goodnesswins]

I am a huge proponent of vit D WITH k2...but...people are different...you really should test...you can get it done without a doc...

[goodnesswins]

PS...I take 8-10,000 a day with K, depending on season, to maintain @level of 60+ (level s/b between 60-80)

[TigersEye]

I will check that out but I don’t usually take calcium supplements. I get enough from the dairy products and calciferous veggies I eat.

I have a pretty good handle on my health and how to maintain it. :)

[JPG]

I have been reading that taking it with vitamin K helps remove calcium from veins and arteries and transfers it to the bones where it belongs.

Same result taking Boron.

[goodnesswins]

Too much D without k2 can cause “hardening of the arteries”.

[TTFX]

There are many claims about vitamin d because

people that have higher levels do better in some ways.

Do they do better because they have higher vitamin d?

We can test that. We make two groups of people and give vitamin d to one group, and see if it benefits them. In most cases, the benefit people thought this group would get, did not.

If a person has a vitamin d level of 32 ng/ml, increasing it almost never produces a benefit.

There are more kidney stones among people with a vitamin d level of 50 ng/ml.

[TTFX]

You should just stop until your level is normal. Fat in your body is probably full of it and it will take a long time for your blood level to come down. If you have problems from having too much vitamin d, consuming green and orange vegetables help.

[Deaf and Discerning]

I found out one of the prescriptions that I had taken for 20 years has a side effect of destroying my vitamin D. My blood was very low in vitamin D. I never knew that my vitamin D should have been routinely checked all these years. I have severe arthritis, but I don’t know if there is connection between low vitamin D and arthritis.

[ConservativeMind]

It could affect rheumatoid arthritis, but not likely osteo.

Which do you have?

[steve86]

Yes, I’ve always thought RCTs are better than someone saying on a forum “I do (or don’t do) x and therefore have (or don’t have) y”.

[dennisw]

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