Vitamin D and Your BrainYour brain has a powerful craving. So go ahead -- indulge. A review of vitamin D research reveals two reasons why the vitamin is so important to brain health... 1) Your brain is loaded with vitamin D receptors 2) Vitamin D interacts with proteins in the brain that are necessary for memory and motor control Could these factors also play a role in happiness and depression? Researchers don't know the answer to that one yet, but there's no question that a brain deprived of D is likely to play a role in causing depression. A study from the National Institute on Aging finds that people over the age of 65 with low D levels are more likely to be depressed. This link is slightly stronger in women than men. Given that vitamin D deficiency is so common, it's also no surprise that depression is a widespread problem. But what did surprise me is just how widespread it is. The World Health Organization ranks depression as the number one cause of disability in the world. Not heart disease, not cancer, not dementia or diabetes -- depression. I have to say, that's a little depressing. Time for some sunshine! |
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