**10.5 Aging depressive symptoms**

Aging depressive symptoms are noticed for both hypervitaminosis D3 and hypovitaminosis D3, which leads to premature aging of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) that is emerging as a significant mediator/hormone for early aging symptoms, and its FGF-23 effects are dominated by vitamin D-mediated excess of calcitriol. The early aging phenotypic features include thin skin, intestinal atrophy, spleen atrophy, muscle atrophy, weight loss, short life prognosis, osteoporosis, and atherosclerosis. There is a tight physiological regulation of 24-hydroxylase, the hormonal form of vitamin D3, which can be modulated by physiological serum concentrations of calcidiol. This regulation of hormonal form of vitamin D3 explains the development of aging depressive symptoms [31]. However, some intoxications occur during the early period of synthesis and distribution of vitamin D3 with its substitution/ fortification. After the Second World War, the children in many parts of Europe were administered with extremely high oral doses of vitamin D3 and suffered from hypercalcemia, nephrocalcinosis, early aging, cardiovascular complications, and early death, supporting the possibility of hypothesizing that the hypervitaminosis D3 can accelerate aging symptoms [19, 24, 31].

Calciferol hormone insufficiency may accelerate the risk of diseases of CNS. A recent study postulated that the hypovitaminosis D3, also famously known as vitamin D deficiency, may cause premature or immature aging of cognitive functions. Thus, both a lack and an excess of calciferol hormones enhance aging in major dependency [32]. Initial events affect the genome, causing telomere shortening or accumulation of DNA damages, which are modulated by the tumor suppressor protein, p53. Hormonal forms of vitamin D3 appear to control the basic mechanisms of aging and related diseases [19].

The hypothesis of the role of vitamin D in aging is considered based on three axial parameters, namely, calciferol hormone serum concentrations, risk of disease,

**119**

*Association of Vitamin D Deficiency and Mood Disorders: A Systematic Review*

and onset of aging. The former two parameters are seen based on lower and higher values, and the latter parameter is seen as the typical or premature onset of aging. It is observed that both low and high action of calciferol hormones trigger premature aging, including diseases of CNS. Hence, an optimal serum concentration appears

Significant lower levels of vitamin D are seen in patients with suicidal tendencies than both non-suicidal depressive patients and healthy control individuals. Deficiency of vitamin D was found in 58% of cases of all the reported cases of suicides, compared to around 30% cases found for the healthy controlled cases and

Accumulating studies indicate that a dysregulated immune system could be a contributing factor to depression and possibly specifically to suicidal tendency. Direct evidence of causality comes both from animal models, where induction of peripheral inflammation is known to lead to depressive changes, and from the so-called cytokine-induced depression in humans, where treatment with interferons (IFN) of patients with hepatitis increases the risk for development of both depression and suicidal tendency [32]. Thus, an indirect proportional relationship between serum vitamin D concentration and inflammatory cytokines is seen to be established, i.e., the lower the vitamin, the higher are the levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β in the blood. The future prospective must be seen to compare vitamin D levels between other groups of psychiatric patients and groups

A study conducted in the year 2006 on the psychiatric population to understand

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is an early-onset, chronic, a neurodevelopmental disease characterized by attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity mostly in children, affecting nearly 2–18% of children worldwide, and is found to be one of the most common psychiatric disorders in childhood stage [32]. Learning like basic skills can be affected in childhood and can also cause various psychological and social interaction problems in children and the adult population. The neurotransmitters like dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) play a crucial role in maintaining attention, concentration, motivation, awareness, and cognition. With the major role of vitamin D in cerebral function, it might have a direct role

the association between lower plasma levels of 25(OH) vitamin D3 and mood disorders revealed that all 82 subjects were suffering from psychiatric disorders. Further, 53 patients were suffering from mood disorders, and the remaining 29 patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia. All these patients were found to have low vitamin D3 plasma concentration which confirms the significant association of low vitamin D3 plasma concentration with mood disorders and related disease symptoms. Additionally, significant hypovitaminosis D was also witnessed in mood disorders like major depression, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia than with schizophrenia [37]. Also, according to one of the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, it was revealed that the prenatal vitamin D deficiency in a mother

could be a high-risk factor for schizophrenia in an offspring [24].

**10.8 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)**

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90617*

**10.6 Suicidal attempts due to vitamin D deficiency**

the non-suicidal depressed patient cases [33–35].

of patients with personality disorders [7, 34, 36].

to delay aging [19].

**10.7 Schizophrenia**

and onset of aging. The former two parameters are seen based on lower and higher values, and the latter parameter is seen as the typical or premature onset of aging. It is observed that both low and high action of calciferol hormones trigger premature aging, including diseases of CNS. Hence, an optimal serum concentration appears to delay aging [19].
