缺乏維生素D會增加老年人患抑郁風險

A lack of vitamin D can increase the risk of depression by up to 75 percent in older people, according to a new study that involved four years of follow-up research – findings that are worrying considering how many people don't get enough vitamin D later in life.

根據(jù)一項跟進4年的新研究，缺乏維生素D可以使老年人患抑郁癥的風險增加75%?？紤]到?jīng)]有攝入足夠維生素D的老年人數(shù)量，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)令人擔憂。

With late life depression having a knock-on effect on quality of life, how soon people go into residential care, and even the chance of an early death, boosting vitamin D levels could offer new opportunities for tackling these problems in older people.

晚年抑郁癥對老人來說是一記重擊，會影響到他們的生活品質(zhì)，他們可能很快就會需要家庭護理，甚至會增加他們早亡的幾率。而提高身體的維生素D水平可以提供解決這些老年人問題的新機遇。

Vitamin D supplements aren't difficult to come by and are relatively safe to take, so the researchers behind the study are calling for updated guidelines on recommended vitamin D intake – guidelines that could have a real impact on the older population.

維生素D的補充劑獲取并不難而且攝入相對安全，因此該研究的研究員呼吁在健康指南中做出關(guān)于維生素D建議書攝取量的更新。這些指南可能對老年人來說有著真正的影響。

"This is the largest representative and most comprehensive study of depression risk and vitamin D status in older adults ever conducted in Ireland," says one of the researchers, Robert Briggs from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.

“這是截至目前，愛爾蘭開展過的最具代表性而且是最全面的抑郁風險以及老年人維生素D狀況的研究，”研究者之一、來自愛爾蘭都柏林圣三一學院的Robert Briggs表示。

"Our findings will provide useful information to help inform public health policy – particularly regarding the proposition of the usefulness of vitamin D treatment/supplementation for depression."

“我們的這些發(fā)現(xiàn)為公共健康政策提供了有幫助的信息，尤其是鑒于維生素D治療或補充對抑郁癥的有效性的提議。”

The study covered 3,965 people aged over 50 taking part in the The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). After initial assessments, researchers checked back in on the participants after two years and after four years.

該研究涵蓋了參與愛爾蘭老齡化縱向研究(TILDA)的3965名50歲以上的參與者。在最初進行評估之后，研究人員分別在2年后和4年后又對參與者進行了檢查。

By the end of that four year period, 400 people had developed depression. The participants with a vitamin D deficiency showed a 75 percent higher risk of depression, even after accounting for factors like depressive symptoms, chronic diseases, level of physical activity, and cardiovascular disease.

4年的研究期結(jié)束后，有400名參與者患上了抑郁癥。即使算上了像抑郁癥狀、慢性疾病、身體活動水平以及心血管疾病這樣的因素，缺乏維生素D的參與者還是顯現(xiàn)出了75%的更高患病風險。

Vitamin D levels have been linked to depression before, but the large sample and the four-year period used in this latest study makes it one of the most compelling pieces of evidence yet that the two are related.

在過去，維生素D的水平曾經(jīng)和抑郁癥掛鉤過，但是最近這個研究所使用的大規(guī)模的樣本和4年的研究周期使其成為了目前這二者相關(guān)聯(lián)的最有力的證據(jù)。

While it's long been established that vitamin D is important for healthy bones, teeth and muscles, this link to our mental wellbeing is relatively new – and considering one in four older people in Ireland are estimated to be not getting enough vitamin D in the winter months, the problem is not a minor one.

雖然長期以來，人們都知道維生素D對于骨骼、牙齒和肌肉健康都是至關(guān)重要的，但其和我們心理健康的關(guān)聯(lián)是相對比較新的。而且考慮到在愛爾蘭，四分之一的老年人都沒有在冬季攝入足夠的維生素D，那么這就不是一個小問題了。

The researchers think that vitamin D may be able to protect the brain against some of the wear and tear associated with ageing, but we'll need further studies to find out for sure if that's the case.

研究者認為維生素D可能能夠保護大腦抵抗一些由于年齡帶來的磨損，但還需要進一步的研究來弄清真相是否如此。

Should vitamin D supplements be given out on a regular basis or even added to food to try and stave off this very real risk of depression? It's something that could be on the table, according to the researchers behind the study.

維生素D補充劑是否應(yīng)該定期分發(fā)或者是添加進食物中來將抑郁癥扼殺在搖籃中呢?據(jù)本研究的研究人員表示，這是顯而易見的。

"Given that vitamin D is safe in the recommended intakes and is relatively cheap, this study adds to the growing evidence on the benefits of vitamin D for health," says one of the team, Eamon Laird from Trinity College Dublin.

“鑒于維生素D在建議攝取量下十分安全，而且相對比較廉價，維生素D對身體有益的證據(jù)不斷增加，本研究也是為之增磚添瓦，”本研究的研究員Eamon Laird表示。

That said, research over the years has also put a dent in the shiny reputation of vitamin D supplements, with some doctors saying there's no consensusover what deficiency even is, and that it's certainly possible to take too much of it.

即便如此，以往數(shù)年的研究也發(fā)現(xiàn)了一些維生素D的缺陷，一些醫(yī)生表示對于缺乏維生素D并沒有達成一致看法，而且也很容易攝入過量。

So, it's probably best to just speak to your doctor about all this; but these results do show it might be a good idea to make sure older people get enough sunshine (but not too much) and at least receive enough vitamin D from their diet.

所以，最好還是去咨詢一下醫(yī)生;但是這些研究結(jié)果的確顯示出確保老年人適當?shù)臅裉柌⑶抑辽購娘嬍持蝎@取足夠的維生素D或許是個不錯的主意。