Vitamin D Proves Helpful For Women with Diabetes and Depression

Women with type 2 diabetes tend to have worse outcomes than men with the same diagnosis.

The reason for this may be that more than 25 percent of women with diabetes also have depression, and symptoms of depression interfere with the ability to manage diabetes successfully.

A cost-effective way for women to address this problem might be taking a readily available supplement that has minimal side effects. Recent research indicates that vitamin D supplements not only improve the mood of depressed, diabetic women, but it also lowers their blood pressure significantly.

How Diabetes and Depression are Linked

It is not surprising that many women (and men) have diabetes and depression together since the two illnesses are linked several ways.

  1. The CDC reports that having diabetes doubles an individual’s risk of developing depression.
  2. Both diagnoses have common risk factors including family history, blood pressure problems, obesity and coronary artery disease.
  3. The two diagnoses share symptoms. Anxiety, fatigue, irritability, and restlessness are signs of depression – and of blood sugar that is too high or too low.
  4. Having to manage diabetes can trigger depressive symptoms, and the depressive symptoms make managing diabetes more difficult. Then the diabetes worsens, and the added stress aggravates the depression. A vicious circle.

Having depression with diabetes creates additional health risks as well. People with both illnesses have a 52 percent greater chance of experiencing a heart attack or stroke. Depressed diabetics also tend to have higher blood glucose levels than those who are not depressed.


Because the diabetes-depression link is a particular problem for women, a pilot research study done at Loyola University Chicago, Niehoff School of Nursing, was designed to look at the effects of vitamin D supplementation on depressed women with diabetes.

The Vitamin D Study

The Loyola study included 46 women, averaging 55 years of age, who had diabetes for an average of eight years. All had insufficient levels of vitamin D. For six months, the women took about 7,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day. (The recommended dietary allowance for women of that age is 600 IU per day).

After six months, the participants had restored their vitamin D to healthy levels. The women’s answers on a 20-question depression survey indicated significant improvement in mood as well. Participants' average systolic blood pressure decreased from 140.4 mm HG to 132.5 mm HG, and their average weight dropped two and a half pounds.


This pilot research was such as success, the same researchers are currently conducting a larger, controlled study about the impact of vitamin D on depression and cardiovascular risk factors in women with type 2 diabetes.

Getting Enough Vitamin D

Fortunately, with awareness and a bit of effort, it is not difficult for people to get enough vitamin D through diet and time spent outdoors.

  1. The body manufactures vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Spend 15 to 30 minutes, at least three times per week, sitting, playing or exercising in sunshine.
  2. Eat vitamin D foods such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, egg yolks, cheese and beef liver. Vitamin D is also added to some food products, such as milk.

For those with depression, eating well and having the energy and motivation to go outside can be problematic. If this is true for you, talk to your doctor. He or she can test you for vitamin D deficiency and determine how much supplementation you need if your vitamin D levels are low.


Sources: Med News Today, Science Daily, American Diabetes Association


More Articles

With its slightly nutty flavor, chewy texture, and nutritional punch farro is an ancient whole grain worth a place in our pantry.

Farro...

Having diabetes is cause for concern, however it doesn’t mean that you need to eliminate all of your favorite foods from your diet completely....

With diabetes becoming more of an epidemic each and every day, being knowledgeable about the disease, its effects on the body as well as ways to...

If you’re a diabetic or live with one, it can be tough trying to figure out the best foods to eat because your priority is to control your blood...

In this post, I will show you the 10 best ice creams for diabetics.

When you think of sweetened foods that a diabetic shouldn’t consume,...

More Articles

If you’re living with diabetes, snacking is a necessity because going for more than 3-4 hours without eating can be detrimental to your health....

For diabetics, choosing healthy snacks can be a daunting task.

A good rule of thumb is to pick out snacks that are rich in protein, fiber,...

According to information available through the National Institutes of Health, there’s an estimated 462 million people in the world who are...

Eleven Clinical Studies

After eleven clinical studies and 300,000 participants, researcher Vasanti Malik and her team of researchers...

Diabetic women often have a harder time losing weight than non-diabetic women. A study funded by Jenny Craig proved that diabetic women have an...

Many recent studies have proved that magnesium levels are lower in patients with diabetes than in non-diabetics. This magnesium...

Fluid retention, also known as edema, is a problem that affects many diabetics, especially those with type 2 diabetes...

Some of us might be thrilled if we could manage our blood sugar by sitting in a hot tub or sauna, instead of working up a sweat biking, or using...

Cooking and baking with the ancient cereal grain sorghum has health benefits for people with diabetes, and those with weight control issues....

When it comes to certain foods, there are always questions as to whether or not a diabetic can have them without...

Matcha tea is a rich, creamy, full-bodied beverage with amazing nutritional properties that address several diabetes health concerns.

The...

Salads are good example of foods that type 2 diabetics can enjoy with relatively low guilt. With the right greens and other elements added, salad...

Remaining gainfully employed is important to many people. Those who live with any form of diabetes may find that some lines of work are more...

Learning that you have diabetes does mean making some lifestyle changes. One of the areas that needs attention is your diet. Most people find that...

One of the more challenging aspects of life as a type 2 diabetic is managing your diet. There’s often the temptation to avoid certain foods...