Can Low Vitamin D Cause Anxiety In Kids?

As a parent, you might recall your newborn’s doctor suggesting a Vitamin D supplement, especially if you fed your baby breastmilk. Or maybe that memory is lost in the haze of sleeplessness and survival. 

Fast forward to today. It turns out vitamin D is important for kids of all ages, not just babies. Some recent studies even suggest a link between low vitamin D and behavior concerns, like anxiety. 

Let’s explore vitamin D basics, low vitamin D anxiety connections, and other vitamin D related mental health conditions. 

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D wears many hats in your child’s body. Not only does it contribute to strong bones and teeth, vitamin D also promotes heart health and strengthens your kid’s immune system. Vitamin D supports brain health, too–a big job!

It’s no wonder you want to make sure your child is getting enough vitamin D to support their daily health and growth spurts.   

Where Can I find Vitamin D?

Not many foods contain natural vitamin D. Seafood, especially fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and trout, are the best source. Eggs and mushrooms contain some vitamin D. I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a list of my kids’ least favorite foods! Don’t stress. There are other sources that your kid won’t turn their nose up at!

Many foods kids typically enjoy, such as milk and milk alternatives, yogurt, juice, and cereals, are fortified with vitamin D.

A surprising (and enjoyable!) source of vitamin D is good, old-fashioned sunshine! Yes, vitamin D is the only vitamin activated in the body by the sun’s rays. Add “vitamin D boost” to the already long list of benefits children get from playing outside. 

While the sun is pretty efficient at making vitamin D in a child’s body, it’s not too reliable of a source. Long winter months, pollution, the use of sunscreen, and darker skin pigments are some factors that can decrease its absorption in your child’s body.

So make sure your kid gets vitamin D from plenty of different sources. And consider giving them a kids daily multivitamin to prevent low vitamin D. 

How does low vitamin D affect mental health?

Low vitamin D isn’t just a concern for children. Lots of adults are either vitamin D  insufficient (mild decrease) or deficient (moderate-to-severe decrease).

The addition of vitamin D to milk in the 1930s boosted vitamin D levels and helped wipe out rickets, a serious bone condition. However, the lack of this essential nutrient continues to be a public health problem, especially related to mental well-being.

Low levels of vitamin D appear in several mental health disorders, including:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Schizophrenia
• Autism
• Depression and anxiety

OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder that causes an intense cycle of troubling thoughts and rituals or behaviors. These cycles are so intense they keep your child from getting through the tasks of their day and doing things they enjoy.   

A 2017 study found that children and teens with OCD tend to have much lower levels of vitamin D. The lower a kid’s vitamin d level, the more severe their symptoms.

Sometimes, a child will suddenly have OCD symptoms after a strep infection. This condition is called PANDAS–short for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. 

A  2016 study showed that kids with PANDAS-related OCD were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than kids without the disorder. 

ADHD

Research is mixed, but there may be a link between vitamin D deficiency and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some evidence suggests that kids with ADHD have much lower vitamin D levels than those without ADHD, while another study didn’t find a difference between the two groups.

Still, it’s important to treat all children who have a vitamin D deficiency, whether or not they have ADHD.

Schizophrenia

Lots of research suggests that schizophrenia and low vitamin D levels are related. In fact, doctors first made the connection because high numbers of people with schizophrenia are born in winter and spring (months with less sunshine). 

There’s a link between vitamin D deficiency in infants and an increased risk for schizophrenia in later life. And it’s estimated that 65–70% of those with schizophrenia have low vitamin D levels.

People with schizophrenia often have poor diets and general health, are less active, and often have other medical conditions—all factors that can affect vitamin D levels.

Autism

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and early childhood is linked to some cases of autism, a neurological and developmental disorder.

Scientists think vitamin D deficiency may trigger the genetic expression of autism. Sounds complicated but compare it to flipping a light switch: the autism gene is present but “off” until certain factors like low vitamin D, for example, flip it “on.”

Some studies show vitamin D supplementation may reduce the severity of symptoms in autistic kids. But we need more high-quality research to define the connection between autism and vitamin D. 

Depression and anxiety

Can vitamin D deficiency cause anxiety? The internet was buzzing with that question after a 2020 study revealed connections between vitamin D, depression, and anxiety. 

If you get lost in a Reddit thread about kids and anxiety, chances are you’ll come across lots of parents sharing their stories about how vitamin D supplements cured their kids’ (or their own) anxiety. 

While research shows that low vitamin D and anxiety attacks or symptoms may be related, we need a lot more research to clarify these connections and what that means for treating anxiety in children.

Signs of vitamin D deficiency in children

Symptoms of low vitamin D in kids are tricky to spot and sometimes similar to symptoms of other deficiencies or disorders.

Kids with vitamin D deficiency may have the following symptoms:

• Developmental delay
• Extreme sleepiness, or lethargy
• Irritability
• Muscle pain
• Bone changes or fractures

Watch for mental health concerns, too. Be sure to talk to your child’s pediatrician if you notice signs of anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, or autism in your child. 

How much vitamin D does my child need?

Current daily vitamin D recommendations for healthy children are:

• 400 IU for babies (birth to 12 months)
• 600 IU for children and adolescents (1-18 years) 

These are basic recommendations. Kids with health conditions like celiac disease or cystic fibrosis may need more. And some medicines, like those to treat seizures, may impact vitamin D absorption. Be sure to check with your child’s doctor for guidance. 

Tips to Increase Your Child’s Vitamin D Intake

Help your kids build strong bones, brains, and immune health by ensuring they get enough of the superstar sunshine vitamin. 

If your kids (like mine) aren’t into fish or eggs, continue to offer them these foods. Don’t force your child to eat food they dislike. But keep it lighthearted and encourage them to take a taste of fish, eggs, or mushrooms if they are part of a meal you’re eating. 

Repeatedly exposing your child to a food will increase the chances of them eating it. Plus, we all know food tastes better from someone else’s plate… so you might be pleasantly surprised if you offer them your breakfast frittata or salmon salad and they actually nibble on it!

Vitamin D-fortified milk and yogurt are versatile, key ingredients in many kid-approved recipes–like soups or muffins. So have your kids help bake up a batch of blueberry muffins or cook a pot of broccoli cheese soup for dinner! 

Get creative with vitamin D-fortified yogurt and whip up some easy but fun desserts like yogurt parfait, frozen fruit pops, Greek yogurt granola bars, froyo, and popsicles!

Still concerned about whether your child is getting enough vitamin D? Or maybe your kid has anxiety and you’re worried about their vitamin D level. Talk to your child’s pediatrician. They can help figure out if there’s a connection between low vitamin D and anxiety in your child.

Ensuring your child gets enough vitamin D is crucial for their overall well-being, including their mental health. If you're worried that your child isn't getting enough vitamin D through diet or sunshine alone, speak with their pediatrician and consider adding a high-quality third-party tested multivitamin such as Hiya Kids Daily Multivitamin. A multivitamin can help fill the gap. Hiya’s chewable, sugar-free vitamins are packed with all the essential nutrients, including vitamin D, to support your child’s growing body and mind.