Exercise vs Vitamin D for mood
Short answer: For mood, more users report improvement with Exercise — 95% of 187 reports, versus 88% of 308 for Vitamin D.
Vitamin D has 3,251 meta-analyses and 4,560 randomized trials on PubMed; the other has not been graded.
Based on 738 reports about Exercise and 2,323 about Vitamin D. Not medical advice.
| Exercise Lifestyle | Vitamin D Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| User score | 63 | 48 |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Positive of reports that state an outcome | 89% | 65% |
| Reports | 738 | 2,323 |
| Research | Research pending | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | — | 3,251 / 4,560 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Weight loss % reporting improvement | 100% (10) | 62% (8) |
| Appetite % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 67% (3) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 95% (66) | 82% (55) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 90% (88) | 87% (215) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 96% (51) | 50% (105) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 95% (93) | 65% (82) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 95% (187) | 88% (308) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | 100% (8) | 83% (12) |
| Performance % reporting improvement | 100% (28) | 100% (23) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 91% (11) |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 73% (30) |
| Digestion % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | 50% (14) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 94% (18) | 80% (45) |
| Hormones % reporting improvement | 100% (14) | 87% (55) |
| Blood sugar % reporting improvement | 100% (2) | 100% (2) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | 85% (13) | 60% (15) |
| Skin & hair % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 89% (28) |
| Immunity % reporting improvement | 100% (6) | 99% (74) |
| Longevity % reporting improvement | 100% (9) | 78% (9) |
| Common side effects | fatigue, insomnia, initial fatigue | insomnia, anxiety, fatigue, hypercalcemia |
| Typical dose reported | multiple times a week | daily |
ExerciseFull Exercise profile →
What a user said
“nothing has improved my mental health like daily and difficult physical exercise has.”
Vitamin DFull Vitamin D profile →
Latest review conclusion
These results indicate that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was more elevated in obese subjects. The vitamin D deficiency was associated with obesity irrespective of age, latitude, cut-offs to define vitamin D deficiency and the Human Development Index of the study location.
Obes Rev, 2015 ↗What a user said
“First thing I noticed was my mood & libido, I have more 'feeling/sensitivity' down there.”
Related comparisons
Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate