Maria Polak

Maria has always been interested in what makes us feel well. “We all want to be happy, yet too often we take good things for granted until something goes wrong” she exclaims.

Wellbeing is a state when positive feelings predominate over negative feelings. “Within the last decade, there has been a rise of interest in wellbeing with evidence that individuals who experience more positive feelings are healthier, more resilient to stress, and achieve more than their peers, compared to those who experience more negative feelings” she states.

“For this reason, I think it is important to understand the factors that predict wellbeing. While considerable gains have been made towards understanding psychological and cognitive predictors, research on biological factors is still progressing.”

To date, the majority of biological research has focused on the role of neurotransmitters and genes directly implicated in emotion systems – such as serotonin and dopamine. However, she believes there may be other biological factors that interact with these systems that also influence wellbeing—for example, vitamin D.

“Vitamin D is a lipid-soluble vitamin manufactured in response to sun exposure and, to a lesser degree, obtained from food. In addition to the well-appreciated role in the metabolism of calcium, vitamin D may also play a role in mood regulation. Vitamin D receptors are present in numerous different types of cells, including neurons and glial cells.”

“There is some evidence that low levels of 25(OH)D in plasma, the marker for vitamin D status, are associated with mood disorders, including major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and premenstrual syndrome. Vitamin D levels decrease dramatically over winter, especially at greater latitudes like in Dunedin, potentially increasing the incidence of these disorders” she clarifies.

Yet, to date, there has been limited research on the link between Vitamin D and wellbeing. Moreover, genetic variants known to influence vitamin D function have yet to be examined in relation to wellbeing.

“At the University of Otago, I have an amazing opportunity to carry out research embracing several areas – psychology, human nutrition, genetics, and preventative medicine. I am working on an interdisciplinary study to examine the relation between circulating vitamin D status and wellbeing, as well as examining genes related to vitamin D function and wellbeing. As a member of the Daily Experiences Lab lead by Dr Tamlin Conner, I am able to collect close-to-real-time reports of wellbeing – and ill-being – from our participants using online internet diaries and text messaging” she enthuses.

“Access to the Human Nutrition clinic and laboratories in both nutrition and biochemistry enables me to collect and analyse blood samples for vitamin D levels and genotyping.”

Doing interdisciplinary research also means great variety for Maria – in addition to reading, statistical analysis and writing, her diverse tasks include looking after participants in the computer lab, keeping in touch with them during the study, measuring them in the clinic, and analysing blood samples in the lab.

“Most importantly”, she asserts, “This will be the first study to investigate the link between the genetic variants for vitamin D genes and moods, contributing to the study of biological determinants of wellbeing.”