Is there an association between serum 25(OH)D and mental well-being in patients with type 2 diabetes? Results from a cohort study in primary care.

PURPOSE

There are limited and inconsistent results on the correlation between vitamin D and mental health in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Thus, our aim was to explore the association between vitamin D and mental well-being in a community-based sample of participants with T2D.

METHODS

We analyzed serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in 698 patients with T2D at the baseline examination. The cohort was reinvestigated after 4 years. Data from SF-36 questionnaires measuring vitality and mental health at baseline and after 4 years were used for analyses.

RESULTS

Serum 25(OH)D was inversely associated with poor mental health at baseline (odds ratio (OR) for 10 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D, 0.90 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83-0.96, p = 0.003)) but not at follow-up (p > 0.05). Serum 25(OH)D was not associated with vitality at baseline (p > 0.05). At follow-up, there was an inverse association between 25(OH)D and low vitality (OR for 10 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D, 0.89 (95% CI 0.82-0.97, p = 0.009)) but not after adjustment.

CONCLUSION

We found an inverse association between 25(OH)D and mental health in patients with T2D at baseline. We found no association between 25(OH)D and vitality after adjustment. Future studies are needed to determine the association between vitamin D and mental well-being in patients with T2D.