Schizophrenia severity reduced somewhat by daily 2,000 IU of Vitamin D – RCT

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Vitamin D Supplementation in Iranian Patients With Schizophrenia: Effects on Serum Levels of Glycogen Synthase kinase-3β and Symptom Severity

Int J Psychiatry Med. 2023 Aug 6; doi: 10.1177/00912174231193303   behind a $41 paywall

Parinaz Kalejahi 1, Sorayya Kheirouri 1, Seyed Gholamreza Noorazar 2

Background: Growing evidence has shown that hypovitaminosis D is a risk factor for developing schizophrenia and comorbid conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum levels of vitamin D, metabolic factors related to insulin resistance (IR) and the severity of the disorder in patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: Forty-eight chronic male patients with schizophrenia with vitamin D deficiency (≤20 ng/mL= (≤50 nmol/l) were selected and randomly assigned to vitamin D treatment and placebo groups. Subjects were supplemented for 8 weeks with vitamin D (2000 IU/day) and placebo, respectively.

Results: Within-group comparison revealed that the vitamin D group had a significant reduction in waist circumference, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale - total score (PANSS-TS) and, glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) levels (P = .022, p = <.001 and P = .013 respectively). On the other hand, the placebo group showed a significant increase in the level of fasting serum insulin and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) (P = .003 and P = .003). The between-group comparison showed a significant difference in terms of PANSS-TS, GSK-3β, Fasting serum insulin (FSI) and HOMA-IR (P = .022, P = .048, P = .013 and P = .014 respectively).

Conclusions: Among vitamin D deficient patients with schizophrenia, vitamin D supplementation may affect GSK-3 β, an important biomarker in schizophrenia and insulin resistance. In addition, vitamin D supplementation in such patients may reduce symptom severity.

VitaminDWiki - Overview Schizophrenia and Vitamin D contains

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VitaminDWiki - Every schizophrenia measure was improved when vitamin D levels were normalized – June 2021

The goal: everyone > 30 ng

Those with the lowest vitamin D levels were given 50,000 IU weekly for 8 weeks