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Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with depression risk in chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to results published in Frontiers in Nutrition. Researchers examined the association between VDD and depression risk among 17,955 propensity-matched pairs of patients with CKD aged 50 years and older (VDD, ≤20 ng/mL) compared with a control group (VDD, ≥30 ng/mL), measured within 3 months of CKD diagnosis. VDD was associated with increased depression risk at 1 year (hazard ratio [HR], 1.929). This association remained at follow-up 3 years later. The finding was consistent across CKD stages, with similar risks in early CKD (HR, 1.977) and CKD stages 3 to 5 (HR, 1.981). Depression risk was higher among men with VDD (HR, 2.264) versus women (HR, 1.761). Higher depression risk was seen even with vitamin D insufficiency (20 to 30 ng/mL) versus normal levels (HR, 1.667). “These findings suggest that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels might be important for mental health in patients with CKD,” investigators wrote.