1 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays, and 2 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: today we are going to talk about the sunshine vitamin D, 3 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: which actually has a bit of an identity crisis. It's 4 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: more of a hormone than a vitamin, and I have 5 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,639 Speaker 1: spoken about it before, but I want to revisit it 6 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: because there's been a new meta analysis release of thirty 7 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:36,479 Speaker 1: one different randomized control trials, which is really good evidence 8 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: when we get that number of RCTs and the end 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,519 Speaker 1: there's a meta analysis pulling all the data together. And 10 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: what this meta analysis looked at was supplementing vitamin D 11 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: and its effect on depression symptoms. So the studies included 12 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: a total of twenty fourth thousand, just over twenty four 13 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: thousand adults and from age twenty two to sixty most 14 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: of had depression. And I just want to jump to 15 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: the findings and then discuss about it. And what they 16 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: find was that vitamin D supplementation reduced depressive symptoms with 17 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: small effects size, which is moderate certainty of evidence, and 18 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: that is exactly what you see with antidepressant medication like SSRIs, 19 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: So it would appear that vitamin D is as effective 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 1: with SSRIs, but without the side effects. Now, they only 21 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,839 Speaker 1: confirmed the benefits in the patient two did have depression 22 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: because they were looking at mood, right, But what they 23 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: find was that higher doses of vitamin D up to 24 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: and this is from supplemental form up to eight thousand 25 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: IUS per day reduced depressive symptoms to a greater degree. Right. 26 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: So when I said that the effects size was small, 27 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: that was across all of it. But when the people 28 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: had higher doses, that had a greater impact. And most 29 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: of the impact was about people's supplement ending with about 30 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: five thousand I used per day. And the study lasted 31 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: for twenty four weeks, so there was no long term stuff. 32 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: But this is pretty important stuff. And let's look at 33 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: a big picture. So you see in observational studies low 34 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:19,799 Speaker 1: levels of vitamin D, people who have low levels. And 35 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: by the way, estimates are that anything from seventy to 36 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: eighty five percent of people around the world have suboptimal 37 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: levels of vitamin D. So you have vitamin D deficiency 38 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: and then you have vitamin D insufficiency. I mean you 39 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: pull those two together. We talk about suboptimal, all right, 40 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: So there's a lot of people out there with suboptimal 41 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: vitamin D that is probably affecting their mood because vitamin 42 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,080 Speaker 1: D does so much shit in the body. Neither's Several 43 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 1: prior meta analysis actually looked at the evidence for vitamin 44 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: D and symptoms of depression and they also find small 45 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: to moderate benefits in patients with depression, particularly those who 46 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: had low vitamin D levels. And the main result in 47 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: this meta analysis brings to the table is the dose response. 48 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,079 Speaker 1: So a large range of vitamin D doses have been 49 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: studied and that can contribute to the difference that you 50 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: see in the effects between different studies. Now, this meta 51 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: analysis was designed to clarify the relationship between the doses 52 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: and the effects size. So they used a method that 53 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: was devised by Swedish researchers in twenty sixteen and combined 54 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: the data from randomized control trial of many different dosages 55 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: to plot what we call a dose response curve that 56 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: then estimated the effects size of different doses. And as 57 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: I said in the analysis, the effects size of five 58 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: thousand ius per day was roughly the three times the 59 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 1: effects size of people taking a thousand iu per day. 60 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: So in comparison, the recommended daily amount for VINAM and 61 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: D supplementation is four to eight hundred I used per day, 62 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: so that would suggest that that's nowhere near enough to 63 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: have those benefits on mood. Now, the plot that they 64 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: did suggest that there were diminishing returns above around five 65 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 1: thousand I use per day, right, so that would have 66 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,359 Speaker 1: seemed to be the optimal amount if you're going to 67 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: supplement with it. Now, one thing that I would say 68 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: is to get your vinamin D levels checked and then 69 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 1: and once you get them checked, and then you go 70 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 1: on the supplement and then you check them again. You 71 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: can get vinamin D toxicity, but it's highly unlikely if 72 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: you're taking five thousand I use per day. But really 73 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 1: you should be checking your levels if you're taking that 74 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 1: supplement for six months or longer, because then it could 75 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: nudge your levels up if you have first gain in 76 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: your spur, spend a bit of time in the sun, 77 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 1: so we need to know what your levels are and 78 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: then I actually am a big fan of getting your 79 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: levels up to one hundred milli males per liter, which 80 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: is I think it's forteen nanograms per milli lider. So 81 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: in Australia we use milli males and in the US 82 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: to use nanograms and it's a factor of two point five, 83 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 1: so one hundred to one hundred and fifty millimles per leader. 84 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 1: That's where I like to get my vinamin D levels. 85 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: And then if you're in nanograms per per millileter, you 86 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: just divide that by two point five, right, so that 87 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,039 Speaker 1: is forty to sixty is what you're looking at here. 88 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: So the takeaway is that in the short to medium term, 89 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: supplementing with vinamin D does appear to reduce depression symptoms 90 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: and individuals with depression and or low vitamin D levels 91 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: and higher that dosages up to about five thousand value 92 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:51,159 Speaker 1: per day lead to greater benefits. So and as I 93 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: said right at the start, it's the similar, very similar 94 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: effects size to antidepressant medication, but vinamin D doesn't come 95 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: with the whole host of scurry side effects that antidepressant does. 96 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: So it really is important. I mean, our biology really 97 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: is oriented around the sun a lot of it, and 98 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: vitamin D is so critical. I think it is absolutely 99 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: the most important vitamin in the body bar none, and 100 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,040 Speaker 1: particularly if you live in Australia. We're obviously all aware 101 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: of the dangers of the sun, but it is very 102 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: clear that not getting enough sun is bad for your 103 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: mood and it's bad for so many other processes in 104 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: your body. So we need to strike that balance and 105 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: the best way to do it is go and get 106 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 1: your vitamin D levels measured. If your doctor doesn't want 107 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,599 Speaker 1: to do it, you can get it done commercially. That 108 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: is it for this week, folks, Catch you next time.