If you’ve ever felt depressed, someone’s probably told you to get outdoors and soak up some tasty vitamin D.

Because how could you possibly feel sad while sunbaking on the beach?

According to research from the Royal Women’s Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital and University of Melbourne, that advice is essentially useless for young Australian women with mental health issues.

“We found no association between depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or psychological distress with vitamin D status. And we looked at it both as continuous levels, as well as vitamin D deficiency,” researcher and PHD student from the Royal Women’s Hospital Emma Callegari said.

Emma Callegari said the results were unexpected.

“From overseas studies, a lot of evidence suggested that those with higher vitamin D levels had better mental health.”

The research also found that the seasons didn’t affect the young women’s mental health – even though vitamin D levels were lower in winter and higher in summer.

– Ange McCormack

Read more: No link between sunshine and mental health in young women, Australian study finds

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