This vitamin makes your brain feel good, so go ahead–indulge

Your brain has a powerful craving. So go ahead–indulge.

A new 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, and 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 plenty of vitamin D makes for a happy brain. And a brain deprived of D is likely to be depressed.

That’s why a new study from the National Institute on Aging is no surprise. Results show that people over the age of 65 who have low D levels are more likely to be depressed–a link that’s slightly stronger in women than men.

And 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.

As winter wanes and our days grow longer, take your brain outside and get some D.

Sources:
“Not Enough Vitamin D May Boost Depression Risk” Stephen Daniells, NutraIngredients-USA, 5/14/10, nutraingredients-usa.com