Oral Vitamin D Supplementation nearly halved that percentage suicide Intentional self-harm in studies of US veterans has an even stronger impact among black veterans.
A retrospective cohort study found that higher doses of daily vitamin D supplements were more likely than lower doses to prevent suicide and self-harm risk, and that the effect was greater than baseline vitamin D deficiency or deficiency. Larger people benefited from vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) supplementation.
“As a relatively safe, accessible, and affordable pharmaceutical, vitamin D supplementation is [Veterans Administration] If clinical trials confirm that it prevents suicide attempts and suicides, it could be promising,” write Dr. Jill E. Lavigne and Dr. Jason B. Gibbons in their study. publish online February 1 PLoS One.
While these confirmatory tests are pending, they advise: [recommended dietary allowance] Levels of 600 IU per day, without screening, in patients with a history of suicidal behavior or suicidal ideation, or who show warning signs of suicidal behavior. ”
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against routine vitamin D screening. depression in various groups.
However, “the subjects in these studies had adequate levels of vitamin D, so they were not deficient. That is a major limitation and the reason why further research was sought. data from,” said Lavigne’s VA Suicide Prevention Center of Excellence in Canandaigua, New York. Medscape medical news.
One-third of military personnel are vitamin D deficient
It has been shown that about one-third of US military personnel have 25-hydroxyvitamin D. [25(OH)D] Levels below 20 ng/mL are considered deficient.
Vitamin D deficiency is especially common in men and dark-skinned people. At the same time, suicide attempts and suicide rates among military and veterans are rising, Lavigne and Gibbons said in their article.
Gibbons, a postdoctoral student in the School of Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, said: Medscape Medical News: “There are at least some indications for vitamin D. Potential Supplements for Depression And those with more severe depression benefited more. So some of what we’re seeing in these large impacts may be contingent on this being the more severely depressed population at baseline.”
When asked for comment, Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Chovanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Massachusetts, said: Medscape Medical News: “In my opinion, this is a very important publication for many reasons. One of them is the sheer number.”
Dr. Holrick said that although there has been some controversy in the literature as to whether vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is as effective as D3 (cholecalciferol), this study confirms that they have comparable activity. “This also shows that vitamin D2, like vitamin D3, reduces the risk of suicide.”
Furthermore, Horik said, “When you look at the plot showing the suicide rate versus the control group, it’s dramatic… almost a 50% reduction in risk… this study is very strong.”
The rate of suicide attempts in the vitamin D and control groups was “dramatic”
Lavigne and Gibbons conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1.3 million US veterans from 2010 to 2018 using electronic health data. Approximately 490,885 veterans who received vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and 169,241 veterans who received vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) had similar demographics and medical histories and received supplementation. A one-to-one comparison was made with no veterans.
The unadjusted rate of attempted suicide/intentional self-harm in the D2 sample was 0.27% for those who received treatment compared to 0.52% for those who did not. The corresponding percentages of D3 were 0.20% vs 0.36%, respectively.
Vitamin D2 supplementation was associated with a 48.8% reduction in suicide/self-harm risk and vitamin D3 supplementation was associated with a 44.8% reduction, both highly significant (P. < .001). These risk reductions were similar between men and women.
However, there were racial differences. The effect of the supplement was greater among black and white veterans, with vitamin D2 reducing suicide/self-harm risk by 57.9% vs. 46.3%, respectively, and vitamin D3 by 63.8% vs. 38.7%, respectively.
According to baseline serum vitamin D levels, patients with vitamin D3 deficiency (0-19 ng/mL) had a significant 64.1% reduction in vitamin D3 compared to untreated controls. Each 1-point increase in mean daily dose was associated with a 13.8% reduction in risk, which was also significant.
Among veterans with baseline blood vitamin D levels between 20 and 39 ng/mL, the overall association was not significant, although vitamin D3 supplementation was associated with a significant 9.6 reduction in suicide attempt and self-harm risk. It is associated with a % decrease and each percentage point increases. Average daily dosage.
There was no significant overall or dose-response association between vitamin D2 or D3 and suicide/self-harm risk in patients with adequate vitamin D (>40 ng/mL).
This research was supported in part by resources from the VA Suicide Prevention Center of Excellence. Support for the VA/CMS data was provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Health Services Research and Development Service, and the VA Information Resource Center awarded Lavigne and Gibbons. Holick has received research grants from Carbogen and Solius and is a consultant to Pulse and Solius.
PLoS One. Published online on February 1, 2023. full text
Miriam E. Tucker is a freelance journalist based in Washington, DC. She is a regular contributor to her Medscape, and her other work appears in her The Washington Post, her Shots blog on NPR, and Diabetes Forecast magazine. She uses @MiriamETucker on her Twitter.
Follow us for diabetes and endocrinology news twitter and Facebook.
