Association between dietary intake of vitamin D and risk of depression, anxiety and sleep disorders among physically active adults: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background Rare studies have been done to investigate association between dietary intakes of vitamin D and risk of mental health disorders among athletes. Current study aimed to investigate association between this vitamin intake and risk of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders among a group of Iranian physically active adults. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 690 healthy athletes (18–50 years, mean BMI between 20 and 30) in Kashan, Iran. Usual dietary intake of participants was assessed by a 147-item FFQ. Depression was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory II (21-item), anxiety by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (21-item), and sleep disorders by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaires. Statistical analyses were done by using SPSS version 18. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results No significant association was found between vitamin D dietary intake and risk of depression at the full-adjusted model (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.62, 1.51). In contrast, participants at the highest tertile of vitamin D consumption had 49% lower risk of anxiety than those at the lowest tertile (OR: 0.51, 95%: 0.29, 0.87). Moreover, a significant 46% lower risk of sleep disorders was found among those with the highest intake of vitamin D in comparison to participants with the lowest intake (OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.78). Conclusion We found a significant association between dietary vitamin D intake and reduced risk of anxiety and sleep disorders, but not with depression, in this study. Further prospective studies are recommended for the future investigations.