title: Vitamin D nutritional status and antenatal depressive symptoms in African American women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D deficiency is associated with depression; however, no studies have examined the relationship of vitamin D and antenatal depression. Antenatal depression increases the risk of adverse birth outcomes and poorer postpartum maternal and infant health. African American women are at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency and antenatal depression. Thus, we examined if early pregnancy vitamin D nutrition (VDN) was associated with antenatal depressive symptoms among African American women in the second trimester of pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women (n=178) were recruited from obstetrics clinics of a large health system. VDN was assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD). Depression symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale; CES-D≥16 equates with criteria for clinical depression. Logistic regression was used to examine the association of log-transformed 25-OHD and elevated depression symptoms (CES-D≥16).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean 25-OHD was 13.4±8.4 ng/mL; most women (82.6%, n=147) were vitamin D inadequate or deficient (25-OHD<20 ng/mL). Mean CES-D was 15.2±10.7, and 74 (41.6%) women had a CES-D≥16, suggestive of clinical depression. A significant inverse relationship was found between log (25-OHD) and CES-D≥16 (odds ratio [OR] 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29-0.99, p=0.046). For every 1-unit increase in log (25-OHD) (corresponding to ~2.72 ng/mL increase in 25-OHD), the odds of CES-D≥16 decreased by 46%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  African American women with lower VDN exhibit increased depressive symptoms. Research on vitamin D supplementation for reducing antenatal depressive symptoms is needed.
authors: Department of Public Health Sciences, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. acassid1@hfhs.org
authors: Andrea E
authors: AE
authors: Cassidy-Bushrow
authors: Rosalind M
authors: RM
authors: Peters
authors: Dayna A
authors: DA
authors: Johnson
authors: Jia
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: D Sudhaker
authors: DS
authors: Rao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D