Low levels of vitamin D in elderly people may lead to depression and other psychiatric problems, Dutch researchers said.

"Underlying¹ causes of vitamin D deficiency such as less sun exposure as a result of decreased outdoor activity, different housing or clothing habits and decreased vitamin intake² may be secondary to depression, but depression may also be the consequence of poor vitamin D levels," the study, released Monday, said.

Researchers from Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, studied some 1,282 senior citizens aged³ between 65 and 95, and found 26 had major depression, while 169 suffered from minor⁴ depression.

Vitamin D levels were 14 percent lower in those elderly suffering from some kind of depression, according to the study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry⁵.

It found that poor vitamin D status also led to an increase in levels of a hormone⁶ secreted⁷ by the parathyroid. Overactive parathyroid glands⁸ are frequently associated with depression.

The findings could be important in treating depression as both low blood vitamin D levels and high parathyroid hormone levels can be corrected by dietary and calcium⁹ supplements or increased exposure to sunlight.

"Moreover, the clinical relevance¹⁰ of the present study is underscored by our finding that 38.8 percent of men and 56.9 percent of women in our community-based cohort had an insufficient¹¹ vitamin D status," the study added.

荷兰研究人员日前称，老年人体内的维生素D水平低可能会导致抑郁症及其它精神问题。

本周一公布的一项研究称，“户外活动减少、不同的居住条件或穿衣习惯引起晒太阳时间减少，以及维生素摄入量减少，这些都是体内缺乏维生素D的潜在原因，它们或许不是导致抑郁症的直接原因，但是抑郁症可能是体内维生素D水平低造成的。”

阿姆斯特丹自由大学的研究人员对约1282名年龄在65岁到95岁间的老年人进行了研究，结果发现其中有26人患有重度抑郁，169人患有轻度抑郁。

该研究指出，患有不同程度抑郁症的老年人体内的维生素D含量要低14%。该研究在《普通精神医学档案》上发表。

研究发现，人体内的维生素D含量低还会导致甲状旁腺分泌的激素增多。而甲状旁腺过度活跃常与抑郁症有关。

这些研究结果对于治疗抑郁症很重要，因为血液中维生素D含量低以及甲状旁腺激素水平过高都可通过饮食、补钙或多晒太阳来改善。

研究人员称：“此外我们的研究发现，在以社区为单位的研究小组中，有38.8%的男性和56.9%的女性缺乏维生素D。这一发现增强了该研究的临床实用性。”