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. 2024 Oct 10:11:1467234.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1467234. eCollection 2024.

Efficacy of vitamin D supplementation on depressive symptoms in older patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Jiamin Fu #  1   2   3 , Yuchi Zhang #  1   2   3 , Xiaoyu Chen #  1   3 , Xing Yu  1   3 , Maoxin Yan  4 , Biying Jing  3 , Hongjuan Yu  3 , Wenzhen Li  3 , Qi Guo  1   3
Affiliations

Efficacy of vitamin D supplementation on depressive symptoms in older patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Jiamin Fu et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Background: The relationship between vitamin D and depression has garnered significant attention in recent years. However, the efficacy of vitamin D in ameliorating depression among specific subgroups of older patients remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the impact of vitamin D supplementation on depressive symptoms and the prevalence of depression in older adults. Additionally, the study sought to examine potential moderating factors, including differences among population subgroups and various supplementation strategies.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to March 2024. The RevMan 5.3 software was utilized to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and to evaluate the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The objective was to determine the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in alleviating depressive symptoms or treating depression in older adults.

Results: This meta-analysis encompassed eleven studies, comprising a total of 21,561 participants. The findings did not indicate a statistically significant therapeutic benefit of vitamin D supplementation for depression in older patients [SMD: -0.10; 95% CI: (-1.19, 0.00); p = 0.05]. Subgroup analyses revealed that the efficacy of vitamin D intervention in geriatric depression correlated with several factors, including baseline serum 25(OH)D levels, the dosage of the intervention, gender, and the initial presence of depressive symptoms or a diagnosis of depression.

Conclusion: The current evidence is insufficient to conclusively establish the significant efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in alleviating depressive symptoms among older patients. Consequently, additional randomized controlled trials are warranted to further validate the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and depression in the older adults.

Keywords: depression; depressive symptoms; geriatrics; meta-analysis; therapeutic evaluation; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Quality assessment of final screening studies.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of correlation between vitamin D supplementation intervention and depression scale scores compared with placebo.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of correlation between vitamin D intervention and geriatric depression scale score in a population with different baseline vitamin D levels.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of correlation between different doses of vitamin D supplementation. Interventions and depression scale scores.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Funnel plot of the effect of vitamin D on depression scores.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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