VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION IN IMPROVING SCHIZOPHRENIA SYMPTOMS: A SCOPING REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53843/bms.v10i14.1123Keywords:
Vitamin D, Schizophrenia, Nutritional Supplementation, Cognition, Antipsychotic DrugsAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia present lower levels of vitamin D compared to healthy individuals, with a higher incidence of negative symptoms among these patients. Considering this scenario, it is inferred that vitamin D plays a potential role in this disorder. This study evaluated the efficacy of vitamin D administration in improving the symptoms of schizophrenic patients, identifying the main trends and gaps in current knowledge. METHODS: The elaboration of this scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR checklist and was conducted in five steps: 1) Formulation of the research question using the PCC method; 2) Selection of databases and design of search strategies; 3) Exportation of retrieved studies to Rayyan and establishment of eligibility criteria; 4) Selection of articles by two independent and blinded reviewers; 5) Construction of an evidence table, following the JBI model. RESULTS: Six areas relevant to the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in schizophrenia were analyzed: 1) methods used to assess the severity of schizophrenia symptoms; 2) primary treatments adopted for schizophrenia; 3) doses of vitamin D supplementation; 4) duration of supplementation; 5) serum vitamin D concentrations before and after the intervention; 6) effectiveness of supplementation in randomized clinical trials. DISCUSSION: The findings indicate that the correction of hypovitaminosis D could be a pivotal mechanism for achieving adjuvant benefits, particularly in relation to negative symptoms and metabolic parameters. Disparities in results may have arisen from the heterogeneity observed in protocols (dose, route, duration) and populations (baseline severity, concomitant treatments). CONCLUSION: During the research, a trend of improvement in schizophrenic symptoms with vitamin D supplementation was identified. However, not all studies corroborated this association, with some reporting no significant impacts. This highlights the need for further research on the topic to expand the evidence base supporting this relationship.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Lucas Aires Araújo, Ana Carolina Campos Fontenele, Emilly Maia de Carvalho Krause, Luísa Conceição Santos Albuquerque, Fernanda Cristina Silva Mariz, Maria Cecília Lemos Afonso, Hugo Rafael de Souza e Silva
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