Suicide is a serious public health risk and the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S. A 2023 study of U.S. veterans found those with vitamin D deficiency who were prescribed vitamin D had a 64% lower risk of suicide when compared to those who didn't take a supplement
This adds to the growing body of evidence that insufficiency or deficiency is linked to depression; other nutrients found to improve mental health include vitamin B6 and magnesium
Consuming refined sugar and a high carbohydrate diet may also increase your risk of depression as sugar primarily drives chronic inflammation, which is linked to depression. A 2019 study demonstrated that avoiding sugar, soft drinks, processed meat and refined carbohydrates lowered levels of depression and anger
Low levels of vitamin D also increase your risk of all-cause mortality by 25%, cancer mortality by 16% and lung-related illness by 96%. I firmly believe the data show that optimizing vitamin D can help prevent COVID and lower your risk of severe symptoms
Read the full analysis by Dr. Mercola
