Effect of an vitamin D deficiency on depressive symptoms in child and adolescent psychiatric patients - a randomized controlled trial: study protocol.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

Current treatment options for this group are scarce and show moderate effect sizes.

There is emerging evidence that dietary patterns and specific nutritional components might play a role in the risk for developing depression.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are children, teenagers and adults, both men and women.

Upon referral, all patients will be screened, checked for inclusion criteria, and those eligible will be randomized after written consent into a supplementation or placebo group.

Both study-arms will receive treatment-as-usual for their psychiatric disorder according to established clinical guidelines.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Because people in this Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

Neither the participants nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc could be set against what happens without it.

The researchers hypothesize that delaying supplementation of vitamin D in the placebo arm will affect the treatment success of the depressive symptomatology in comparison to the vitamin D supplementation group.

What Was Measured

However, the assessment of the vitamin D status of depressed juvenile patients, or supplementation of vitamin D is currently not part of routine treatment.

The subject headings attached to it are Depression, Dietary Supplements, Hospitalization, Patients, Psychiatric Department, Hospital, Vitamin D and Vitamin D Deficiency.

Author keywords: Children & Adolescents and Mental health.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 1 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2018 (BMC psychiatry), a journal based in England.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.