Vitamin D Alleviates Anxiety and Depression in Elderly People with Prediabetes: A Randomized Controlled Study
Evangelia Zaromytidou,
Theocharis Koufakis,
Georgios Dimakopoulos,
Despina Drivakou,
Stavroula Konstantinidou,
Pantelitsa Rakitzi,
Maria Grammatiki,
Eleni Manthou,
Athanasios Notopoulos,
Ioannis Iakovou,
Anna Gotzamani-Psarrakou,
Kalliopi Kotsa
Affiliations
Evangelia Zaromytidou
Nuclear Medicine Department, Hippokration General Hospital, 54642 Thessaloniki, Greece
Theocharis Koufakis
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, First Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgios Dimakopoulos
BIOSTATS, Epirus Science and Technology Park Campus, University of Ioannina, 45500 Ioannina, Greece
Despina Drivakou
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, First Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Stavroula Konstantinidou
Theageneio Hospital, 54639 Thessaloniki, Greece
Pantelitsa Rakitzi
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, First Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria Grammatiki
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, First Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Eleni Manthou
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, First Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Athanasios Notopoulos
Nuclear Medicine Department, Hippokration General Hospital, 54642 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ioannis Iakovou
Second Academic Nuclear Medicine Department, Academic General Hospital of Thessaloniki “AHEPA”, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Anna Gotzamani-Psarrakou
Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Kalliopi Kotsa
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, First Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Older people are prone to frailness, present poor adherence to pharmacotherapy, and often have adverse drug effects. Therefore, it is important to develop effective and safe interventions to mitigate the burden of anxiety and depression disorders in this population. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the anxiety and depression status of elderly people with prediabetes. Participants were randomly assigned a weekly dose of vitamin D3 of 25,000 IU (n = 45, mean age 73.10 ± 7.16 years) or nothing (n = 45, mean age 74.03 ± 7.64 years), in addition to suggested lifestyle measures. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory subscales (STAI-T and STAI-S) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate anxiety and depression levels, respectively, at baseline, 6, and 12 months. A total of 92.68% of the participants in the vitamin D group and 97.14% of the controls exhibited vitamin D deficiency (p = 0.003) and 12 months (32.35 ± 7.77 vs. 44.97 ± 7.78, p p = 0.003) and 12 months (32.59 ± 6.45 vs. 44.60 ± 9.53, p p = 0.021) and 12 months (13.52 ± 5.01 vs. 20.20 ± 8.67, p < 0.001). Participants with deficiency and insufficiency at baseline experienced equal benefits of supplementation in terms of anxiety and depression scores. In conclusion, in a high-risk population, a weekly vitamin D supplementation scheme was effective in alleviating anxiety and depression symptoms. More studies are needed to elucidate the relevant mechanisms.
