Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Dec;4(3):e1342.
doi: 10.52225/narra.v4i3.1342. Epub 2024 Oct 30.

Effects of cholecalciferol supplementation on depressive symptoms, C-peptide, serotonin, and neurotrophin-3 in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

Rudi Putranto  1   2 , Siti Setiati  1   2 , Martina W Nasrun  3   4 , Fiastuti Witjaksono  5   6 , Suzanna Immanuel  7   8 , Imam Subekti  1   2 , Kuntjoro Harimurti  1   2 , Agus Siswanto  9   10 , Hamzah Shatri  1   2 , Suhendro Suwarto  1   2 , Marcelino A Megantara  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of cholecalciferol supplementation on depressive symptoms, C-peptide, serotonin, and neurotrophin-3 in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

Rudi Putranto et al. Narra J. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

The coexistence of depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can significantly worsen disease prognosis and lower quality of life. Emerging evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency contributes to the progression of T2DM and is closely associated with the development of depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cholecalciferol on depression in patients with T2DM, exploring its mechanisms by analyzing its impact on C-peptide, serotonin, and neurotrophin-3 levels. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, from April 2021 to September 2022. Patients with T2DM and depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to two groups: received 4000 IU of cholecalciferol daily and received a placebo for 12 weeks. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) before and 12 weeks after the intervention. The levels of C-peptide, serotonin, and neurotrophin-3 were measured at the end of the fourth week of intervention using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Between-group comparisons were made using independent Student t- tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. Paired Student t-tests or Wilcoxon tests were applied for within-group comparisons between pre- and post-intervention. A total of 70 T2DM patients with depression were included in this study, comprising 38 patients in the cholecalciferol group and 32 in the placebo group. C-peptide levels increased significantly in the cholecalciferol group compared to the placebo group (p = 0.006). No significant differences were observed in serotonin and NT-3 levels between the cholecalciferol group compared to the placebo group. The cholecalciferol group had a significantly greater reduction in BDI-II scores compared to the placebo group (p < 0.001). This trial highlights that taking cholecalciferol might help ease mild to moderate depression symptoms in patients with T2DM by enhancing c-peptide levels, though its effects on serotonin and neurotrophin-3 are still unclear.

Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus; depression; neurotrophin-3; serotonin; vitamin D.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Consort flow diagram of the clinical trial.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Violin plot showing the delta score of Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) of the placebo and cholecalciferol group.s
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bogner HR, Mcclintock HFDV. Costs of coexisting depression and diabetes. J Gen Intern Med 2016;31:594–595. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nanayakkara N, Pease A, Ranasinha S, et al. . Depression and diabetes distress in adults with type 2 diabetes: Results from the Australian National Diabetes Audit (ANDA) 2016. Sci Rep 2018;8(1):7846. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brüne M, Linnenkamp U, Andrich S, et al. . Health care use and costs in individuals with diabetes with and without comorbid depression in Germany: Results of the cross-sectional DiaDec study. Diabetes Care 2021;44(2):407–415. - PubMed
    1. Bogner HR, McClintock HF de V. Costs of coexisting depression and diabetes. J Gen Intern Med 2016;31(6):594. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abuhegazy H, Mujairi A, Banah F, et al. . Depression and associated risk factors among type 2 diabetic patients: A cross sectional study on a convenience sample from the diabetic center, Khamis Mushait; Saudi Arabia. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2022;18:1975–1984. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources