缺乏维生素D会增加老年人患抑郁风险

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.

根据一项跟进4年的新研究，缺乏维生素D可以使老年人患抑郁症的风险增加75%。考虑到没有摄入足够维生素D的老年人数量，这一发现令人担忧。

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.

晚年抑郁症对老人来说是一记重击，会影响到他们的生活品质，他们可能很快就会需要家庭护理，甚至会增加他们早亡的几率。而提高身体的维生素D水平可以提供解决这些老年人问题的新机遇。

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.

维生素D的补充剂获取并不难而且摄入相对安全，因此该研究的研究员呼吁在健康指南中做出关于维生素D建议书摄取量的更新。这些指南可能对老年人来说有着真正的影响。

"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.

“这是截至目前，爱尔兰开展过的最具代表性而且是最全面的抑郁风险以及老年人维生素D状况的研究，”研究者之一、来自爱尔兰都柏林圣三一学院的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."

“我们的这些发现为公共健康政策提供了有帮助的信息，尤其是鉴于维生素D治疗或补充对抑郁症的有效性的提议。”

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.

该研究涵盖了参与爱尔兰老龄化纵向研究(TILDA)的3965名50岁以上的参与者。在最初进行评估之后，研究人员分别在2年后和4年后又对参与者进行了检查。

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年的研究期结束后，有400名参与者患上了抑郁症。即使算上了像抑郁症状、慢性疾病、身体活动水平以及心血管疾病这样的因素，缺乏维生素D的参与者还是显现出了75%的更高患病风险。

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.

在过去，维生素D的水平曾经和抑郁症挂钩过，但是最近这个研究所使用的大规模的样本和4年的研究周期使其成为了目前这二者相关联的最有力的证据。

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.

虽然长期以来，人们都知道维生素D对于骨骼、牙齿和肌肉健康都是至关重要的，但其和我们心理健康的关联是相对比较新的。而且考虑到在爱尔兰，四分之一的老年人都没有在冬季摄入足够的维生素D，那么这就不是一个小问题了。

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.

研究者认为维生素D可能能够保护大脑抵抗一些由于年龄带来的磨损，但还需要进一步的研究来弄清真相是否如此。

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.

维生素D补充剂是否应该定期分发或者是添加进食物中来将抑郁症扼杀在摇篮中呢?据本研究的研究人员表示，这是显而易见的。

"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.

“鉴于维生素D在建议摄取量下十分安全，而且相对比较廉价，维生素D对身体有益的证据不断增加，本研究也是为之增砖添瓦，”本研究的研究员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，以往数年的研究也发现了一些维生素D的缺陷，一些医生表示对于缺乏维生素D并没有达成一致看法，而且也很容易摄入过量。

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，最好还是去咨询一下医生;但是这些研究结果的确显示出确保老年人适当的晒太阳并且至少从饮食中获取足够的维生素D或许是个不错的主意。