What are the benefits of vitamin D?

Introduction

Vitamin D, often referred to as the "sunshine vitamin," is essential for maintaining bone health and regulating calcium and phosphate metabolism. Recent research has expanded our understanding of its benefits, revealing its significant role in various bodily functions and its potential to prevent and manage a range of diseases.

Key Insights

Bone Health and Calcium Regulation:
- Vitamin D is crucial for bone health by enhancing calcium absorption and maintaining a healthy mineralized skeleton .
Immune System Modulation:
- Vitamin D exerts immunomodulatory effects on both the innate and adaptive immune systems, potentially reducing the risk of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis .
Reduction of Chronic Disease Risk:
- Adequate levels of vitamin D are associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers .
Respiratory Health:
- Vitamin D may protect against acute respiratory infections and improve outcomes in conditions like sepsis and COVID-19 by modulating immune responses and maintaining endothelial stability .
Muscle Function and Athletic Performance:
- Vitamin D supplementation can enhance skeletal muscle function and may improve athletic performance by promoting muscle strength and function.
Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases:
- Low levels of vitamin D are linked to inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and supplementation may help manage these conditions by promoting anti-inflammatory responses.
Economic Benefits:
- Increasing vitamin D levels in populations could significantly reduce the economic burden of diseases, particularly in regions with low natural sunlight exposure.

Conclusion

Vitamin D plays a multifaceted role in human health, extending beyond its well-known benefits for bone health. It is crucial for immune system regulation, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, enhancing muscle function, and potentially mitigating the severity of respiratory infections. Ensuring adequate vitamin D levels through sensible sunlight exposure, diet, and supplementation can provide substantial health benefits and reduce the economic burden of various diseases.

What are the benefits of vitamin D?

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Immunologic Effects of Vitamin D on Human Health and Disease

Optimal vitamin D intake and sensible sunlight exposure can maintain optimal immune system function and reduce the risk of immune-related diseases.

Vitamin D status: measurement, interpretation, and clinical application.

Maintaining a vitamin D level of >30 ng/mL is crucial for bone health, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, and promoting overall health.

Vitamin D for health: a global perspective.

Increasing vitamin D status globally can improve musculoskeletal health and reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, including cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, type 2 diabetes, neurocognitive disorders, and mortality.

Estimated benefit of increased vitamin D status in reducing the economic burden of disease in western Europe.

Increasing vitamin D levels to 40 ng/mL by daily intake of 2000-3000 IU can reduce the economic burden of diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes by euro187,000 million/year in western Europe.

Vitamin D insufficiency.

Vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of fractures and falls in adults, with potential benefits for other health outcomes, but more controlled clinical trials are needed.

Vitamin D: Recent Advances and Implications for Athletes

Vitamin D supplementation may enhance athletic performance by regulating immune processes, enhancing skeletal muscle function, and regulating skeletal muscle calcium absorption during cross-bridge cycling.

An Update on the Effects of Vitamin D on the Immune System and Autoimmune Diseases

Optimal vitamin D intake and sunlight exposure are crucial for optimal immune system function and preventing immune-related diseases like psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune diseases.

Vitamin D: not just the bone. Evidence for beneficial pleiotropic extraskeletal effects

Vitamin D supplementation has pleiotropic effects on extraskeletal tissues, including the immune, cardiovascular system, pancreatic endocrine cells, muscle, and adipose tissue, potentially benefiting metabolic and autoimmune diseases.

Vitamin D and Its Potential Benefit for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vitamin D supplementation may potentially benefit primary prevention or adjunctive treatment of COVID-19 by enhancing immune system function, regulating kidney and lung function, and reducing endothelial dysfunction and thrombosis.

The Role of Vitamin D in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Mechanism to Management

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to inflammatory diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, and supplementation may help prevent onset and reduce disease severity.

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