Suboptimal Vitamin D Levels as a Peripheral Biomarker for Suicide Outcomes: Analysis of the UK Biobank Cohort

Suboptimal Vitamin D Levels as a Peripheral Biomarker for Suicide Outcomes: Analysis of the UK Biobank Cohort | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Suboptimal Vitamin D Levels as a Peripheral Biomarker for Suicide Outcomes: Analysis of the UK Biobank Cohort Rona Strawbridge, Nina Fajs, Donald Lyall, Laura Lyall, Richard Shaw, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8873105/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Suicide is a major global public health concern, with higher rates at higher latitudes. Vitamin D, a neuroactive steroid synthesized through sunlight exposure, has immunomodulatory effects and may influence neuroinflammatory pathways implicated in suicidal ideation and behaviour. We analysed UK Biobank data from participants who completed the 2016 (N=156,070) and 2022 (N=168,632) mental health questionnaires and had serum vitamin D levels and suicide outcomes data. Multinomial logistic regression examined associations between vitamin D and passive suicidal ideation, self-harm ideation, self-harm behaviour, and suicide attempt, adjusting for covariates. Suboptimal vitamin D levels were associated with increased risk across all outcomes. The strongest associations were observed for suicide attempt among deficient individuals (relative risk ratios [95% confidence intervals]: 1.25[1.08-1.44] and 1.30[1.13-1.49] in MHQ1 and MHQ2). Associations were present in both sexes, stronger in males, and persisted after excluding severe mental illness. These findings suggest potential public health relevance for suicide prevention. Health sciences/Biomarkers Health sciences/Medical research/Epidemiology Health sciences/Diseases/Psychiatric disorders Health sciences/Health care/Disease prevention Health sciences/Risk factors vitamin D suicide outcomes suicidal ideation suicidal behaviour biomarkers Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementalTable1.xlsx Supplemental Table 1 SupplementalTable2.xlsx Supplemental Table 2 SupplementalTable6.xlsx Supplemental Table 6 SupplementalTable3.xlsx Supplemental Table 3 SupplementalTable10.xlsx Supplemental Table 10 SupplementalTable8.xlsx Supplemental Table 8 SupplementalTable12.xlsx Supplemental Table 12 SupplementalTable14.xlsx Supplemental Table 14 SupplementalTable13.xlsx Supplemental Table 13 SupplementalTable4.xlsx Supplemental Table 4 SupplementalTable11.xlsx Supplemental Table 11 SupplementalTable5.xlsx Supplemental Table 5 SupplementalTable7.xlsx Supplemental Table 7 SupplementalTable9.xlsx Supplemental Table 9 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8873105","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":606722492,"identity":"e15d2b9b-69a1-4fd2-9557-5b1b05ae0715","order_by":0,"name":"Rona 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