tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post853401503425714025..comments2023-06-05T11:51:38.383-04:00Comments on Evolutionary Psychiatry: New Study on Vitamin D and DepressionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04429177284200775781noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-73347772477646569502014-01-29T00:21:37.790-05:002014-01-29T00:21:37.790-05:00Lack of vitamin D can't help in building nutri...Lack of vitamin D can't help in building nutrients needed in our brains. We need to take vitamin D for the proper stimulation of our brain.Nica Gasmidarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00611072168317123380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-78338412789737637872012-01-14T16:40:16.050-05:002012-01-14T16:40:16.050-05:00Could it be a problem in synthesizing the active f...Could it be a problem in synthesizing the active form due to low magnesium status? If many people are deficient in magnesium, and if people with depression are generally more deficient (not sure if this is true but I don't need to convince you that magnesium is a brain's best friend), then we should expect to see less efficacy of vitamin d in these people.<br /><br />Vitamin d council says that magnesium is important for vitamin d metabolism http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/vitamin-d-cofactors/magnesium/ and Stephan G wrote a post about it once. If I knew that the general population had tons of magnesium available then I wouldn't criticize 25 (OH) levels as a marker for vitamin d status, but because of the circumstances I have to.<br /> <br />Also excessive inflammation can interfere with vitamin d metabolism, I think. And that is prevalent in depressed people for sure.<br /><br />What do you think?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-16677518434472175802012-01-12T05:20:37.943-05:002012-01-12T05:20:37.943-05:00I agree with scorp2780. OCD baffles me to no end -...I agree with scorp2780. OCD baffles me to no end - and why high dose SSRIs help, too.Purposelessnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05310957056111105419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-13324231674224592592012-01-11T20:52:31.219-05:002012-01-11T20:52:31.219-05:00Emily, have you seen this video? It gives a possit...Emily, have you seen this video? It gives a possitive view of supplements:<br /><br />Aging slowed in mice with supplement mix<br />http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/12/28/aging-longevity-chasing-cures.html<br /><br />Incredible effect on mouse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-1020705579324937852012-01-11T17:17:31.076-05:002012-01-11T17:17:31.076-05:00Hey there, I love your blog. I came across it aft...Hey there, I love your blog. I came across it after discovering B-12 and Vitamin D deficiencies via bloodwork.<br /><br />In an old post you said that the posts regarding Schizophrenia were popular and ADHD were unpopular. I was wondering if you could write up something on OCD? I'm quite curious to know your thoughts about it in regards to Evolutionary Biology.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-31681314596170554832012-01-10T05:55:29.813-05:002012-01-10T05:55:29.813-05:00There are so many vitamin Ds around. Some are sulp...There are so many vitamin Ds around. Some are sulphated and water-soluble, some travel their long journey with lipoproteins attached. I wonder which really manage to go through the blood-brain barrier. Any idea? Apparently if a mother wants to deliver vitamin D to a baby through milk it has to sulphate it. Same applies to placental absorption. Chances are if you oversupply the raw form absorbed through the gut via cholesterol you decrease the other one. It is a very neglected area unfortunately.Alberto Bologninihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14118673815535322351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-4435750409249631802012-01-08T20:38:13.847-05:002012-01-08T20:38:13.847-05:00Thank you, Dr. Deans.Thank you, Dr. Deans.johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11126132841611727249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-65176777360192766622012-01-08T20:26:49.000-05:002012-01-08T20:26:49.000-05:00Dr Deans' last post was a 'rant'? Well...Dr Deans' last post was a 'rant'? Well I'll be...<br /><br />I'd like to see a rant from Paul Jaminet. It would probably start like this: "I'm sorry to say I have several points of disagreement with my esteemed colleague..."garymarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13815261454130108955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-52857691157031429892012-01-08T20:12:31.494-05:002012-01-08T20:12:31.494-05:00Since everyone is ranting and grammar is being cor...Since everyone is ranting and grammar is being corrected, why not typography...<br /><br />I've noticed recently on the blogosphere that the two spaces after the period has become very popular (here I think of Masterjohn, Guyenet and others...)<br /><br />I wonder why :)Yasinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256231155220110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-46446354002799231872012-01-08T20:11:32.023-05:002012-01-08T20:11:32.023-05:00I would be more aggressive repleting and checking ...I would be more aggressive repleting and checking D with the high CRP, sign of obvious ongoing inflammation (autoimmune, infectious or whatever the cause). Would try nail down the cause. Would also be more aggressive in eliminating trans fats and other nasties from the diet.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04429177284200775781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-18309078505888447782012-01-08T19:54:40.513-05:002012-01-08T19:54:40.513-05:00Emily let me ask you this, say you have two people...Emily let me ask you this, say you have two people both depressed to equal amounts that you have been following for three years. One has a HS CRP of 16 and the other has a HS CRP of 3, and both have low D levels consistently and live in Boston year round. What would you do clinically with respect to the HS CRP and the D in each case for their depression. Assume that this is a consistent finding over say nine months. Bring your theory to practice for us.johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11126132841611727249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-34612489263469555382012-01-08T13:59:06.178-05:002012-01-08T13:59:06.178-05:00Chris Masterjohn has written about different cultu...Chris Masterjohn has written about different cultures having possibly different "normal" values of calcidiol and calcitriol.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05161850700121191487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-34643446521355199702012-01-08T13:18:05.308-05:002012-01-08T13:18:05.308-05:00I've been eating a Paleo diet (modified to inc...I've been eating a Paleo diet (modified to include healthy starches, like sweet potatoes, yams, potatoes, bannana and some rice) for about three years. I've been doing CrossFit and occasional yoga for the same period of time. After experimenting with various supplements, I've settled on three: a multi-vitamin, some probiotics and Vitamin D. If I can't eat enough fish, I'll kick in some fish oil once in a while too. I suspect that I'm doing it right because I don't get sick, even though I have two small children.allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00035675984343369850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-58230355814542959492012-01-08T10:32:02.246-05:002012-01-08T10:32:02.246-05:00Steve - I feel the IOM was a bit conservative (I&#...Steve - I feel the IOM was a bit conservative (I'm thinking 35-50 is a good range for most people). But I did not read their 450 page report, either. <br /><br />Aaron - thank goodness I can always count on you for grammar policing! I never took any English after high school…<br /><br />Paul - you definitely picked the more appropriate song<br /><br />Anarchic teapot - In my clinical experience, I find a lot of vitamin D levels that are in the TOILET. We're talking 4s, 6s, 11s, etc. Just repleting the D doesn't seem to help, but over time, if the D is off, it seems to make everything harder to fix, and those who are repleted seem to very gradually get better more easily than those who don't follow through with the supplements. It is a subtle effect, and the "noncompliance" of the others is also an obvious confounder. <br /><br />Matt - SAMe has several dozen clinical trials showing efficacy but I'm not aware of any in children. In addition, it can raise homocysteine which could be a long term problem. It's important to make sure you are getting the other B vitamins if you take SAMe in order to make sure the homocysteine is being recycled back into methionine. As to zinc, it can interfere with copper absorption at high amounts but as long as you aren't overshooting the RDA by a huge amount I think it's probably okay. Unfortunately, without copper, one can die of heart arrythmia and children are more sensitive to these heart problems even than adults.<br /><br /> I feel it might be more of a marker of inflammation and problems than the cause, though for those who don't absorb zinc well, who don't get enough in the diet, or who waste it especially fast (as has been seen in kids with ADHD) might need supplements. <br /><br />Pyroluria is a bit of an alt med term. Most of the research/papers were done by one guy, and the urine test for it seems a bit sketchy. However, it certainly seems plausible that some people aren't able to utilize zinc/B6 well due to certain genetic issues. <br /><br />In general I am more of a fan of making sure one gets food sources of zinc (eggs and shellfish are good sources - beef liver will provide copper). MEat, green leafy veggies and organ meats and eggs are great sources of the B vitamins. The vitamins are more of an insurance policy especially if kids are picky eaters.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04429177284200775781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-50680679597852925962012-01-08T09:55:51.368-05:002012-01-08T09:55:51.368-05:00Hi Emily
Thanks for the great blog.
Speaking abou...Hi Emily<br />Thanks for the great blog.<br /><br />Speaking about supplements, my 6 yo son has just been prescribed "SAMe"(S-adenosylmethionine) and zinc to counter behavioural issues (tantrums etc). The doctor is also speaking of a condition called Pyroluria which, after a bit of research, does not appear to covered in many mainstream medical publications. <br /><br />Do you think it is sensible and safe to be giving these supplements to a 6yo?<br /><br />Many Thanks<br /><br />Mattmattbeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15160634723578758248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-63917169677538571322012-01-08T09:10:33.322-05:002012-01-08T09:10:33.322-05:00The "Vitamin D for depression" idea does...The "Vitamin D for depression" idea does sound like someone may be mistaking correlation for causation again. I must read this blog more often.anarchic teapothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15202342480527269614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-13297224561670155712012-01-08T06:09:34.573-05:002012-01-08T06:09:34.573-05:00@Richard - I don't know enough about the whole...@Richard - I don't know enough about the whole vitamin D metabolism pathway to make any authoritative comment but it might not just be the amount of vitamin D required that is different but rather whether the vitamin D receptors are able to do their job also: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15854747<br />I do remember a while back Chris Masterjohn wrote a post about vitamin D synthesis and cholesterol which I don't know would be relevant or not i.e. did the participants actually have low cholesterol levels which subsequently impacted on vitamin D status? <br />As for the rant Dr D, perhaps another famous Kaiser Chiefs record might have been more appropriate - "I predict a riot". Molotovs at the ready...Paul Whiteleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14288851488012254897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-69894336015582925032012-01-08T06:04:20.543-05:002012-01-08T06:04:20.543-05:00I'll take my science with a dose of reality an...I'll take my science with a dose of reality and a few rants sprinkled on top over the pseudoscience bunk any day. LOL @ the Stumptuous' rant. That's a good one :-)Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15046002685343148569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-25854563021846759752012-01-07T23:29:05.202-05:002012-01-07T23:29:05.202-05:00Rant on, Dr. Deans. Rant on.Rant on, Dr. Deans. Rant on.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07000362967107422435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-7635704908432373472012-01-07T23:26:24.514-05:002012-01-07T23:26:24.514-05:00Couldn't it be that some people need more vita...Couldn't it be that some people need more vitamin D than others, and that some people with "depression" don't have the same problem that other people have, and only some are helped with vitamin D? There are probably some people who are greatly helped by getting proper levels of vitamin D, and others not helped so much, if at all. On the other hand, given the various benefits of proper levels of Vitamin D, even if it doesn't help depression, it may help with other health issues.<br /><br />My favorite study, as presented by the Vitamin D Council, was the reduction of cancer with proper levels of Vitamin D, particularly the various internal cancers. Getting cancer could depress you, and taking vitamin D after that might not cure that depression.<br /><br />And we could propose that unlimited sun exposure is not altogether a good thing, considering the tanning and protection that generally occurs in individuals after repeated heavy doses and localized increased skin pigmentation in various populations near the equator. So there seems to be a point of diminishing returns even for Vitamin D? <br /><br />It gets too close to magical thinking for me to believe that all depression will be alleviated by taking Vitamin D. Maybe some depression will be reduced. Modest doses are probably a good thing, if you cannot get regular sun exposure.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13579689230767618822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-59154837318387566972012-01-07T22:32:58.840-05:002012-01-07T22:32:58.840-05:00You incorrectly said " data is gathered."...You incorrectly said " data is gathered." Instead of "data are gathered." Oh boy, now you've done it! I'm dropping your sloppily-written, rant-ridden blog! <br /><br /><br />Just kidding.Aaron Blaisdellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04045384289936816823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3045634714760830992.post-81612431886836012772012-01-07T19:30:01.484-05:002012-01-07T19:30:01.484-05:00The Institutes of Medicine about a year ago review...The Institutes of Medicine about a year ago reviewed the RDA for vitamin D, and didn't recommend the much higher intake level that I and others had predicted.<br /><br />I'm not sure who's right.<br /><br />-SteveSteve Parker, M.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13127995984175635389noreply@blogger.com