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Vitamin D: The Unknown Cure For Autoimmune Diseases

Vitamin D may have a role in treating autoimmune diseases. The study reviewed over 25 randomized trials and cohort studies on the relationship between vitamin D levels and autoimmune diseases like lupus, thyroid disorders, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and cystic fibrosis. Patients administered high doses of vitamin D saw reductions in inflammation and improvements in glucose control. Vitamin D supplementation was associated with decreased inflammatory markers and autoantibodies as well as increased levels of cells that regulate the immune system. However, the direct impact of vitamin D levels on disease activity was small. While more research is still needed, vitamin D's effects on the immune system suggest it may have therapeutic potential for autoimmune conditions.

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Cristiana Iliescu
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59 views1 page

Vitamin D: The Unknown Cure For Autoimmune Diseases

Vitamin D may have a role in treating autoimmune diseases. The study reviewed over 25 randomized trials and cohort studies on the relationship between vitamin D levels and autoimmune diseases like lupus, thyroid disorders, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and cystic fibrosis. Patients administered high doses of vitamin D saw reductions in inflammation and improvements in glucose control. Vitamin D supplementation was associated with decreased inflammatory markers and autoantibodies as well as increased levels of cells that regulate the immune system. However, the direct impact of vitamin D levels on disease activity was small. While more research is still needed, vitamin D's effects on the immune system suggest it may have therapeutic potential for autoimmune conditions.

Uploaded by

Cristiana Iliescu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Vitamin D: The Unknown Cure for Autoimmune Diseases

Author: 1Cristiana Mihaela Iliescu


1
Affiliation: Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Introduction

The aim of this study is to determine and evaluate the plausible relationships of
vitamin D with autoimmune diseases in humans. Vitamin D helps cells maintain their energetic and
survival homeostasis through the modulation of the stress and damage response, which is primarily ruled
by the immune system. It also inhibits pro-inflammatory processes by suppressing the increased activity
of immune cells.

Materials and methods

More than 25 randomized, cohort and cross-sectional case-control studies which were conducted between
2003 and 2018 were selected. For instance, 22 studies for systemic lupus erythematous, 2 for thyroid
autoimmunity, 2 for multiple sclerosis, 1 for type 1 diabetes mellitus and cystic fibrosis were elected. The
patients were administered high levels of vitamin D (40000-50000 UI weekly), followed by a wash-out
period. Moreover, of the 8.6 million patients in a cohort study performed between 1999 and 2011, 13,260
had vitamin D deficiency (71% women) and showed a significantly-increased risk for a number of
autoimmune diseases.

Results

Vitamin D levels increase during intervention and decrease during wash-out period. It has multiple
positive outcomes: reduction of inflammation, improvement of fasting glucose and insulin resistance.
Vitamin D supplementation was associated with: decrease in inflammatory cytokines and markers, a
reduction in autoantibodies and elevation in complement level. Vitamin D also enhances T-regulatory
cells and production of T helper 2 cytokines. However, the association between disease activity and low
vitamin D is weak because a significant increment in vitamin D concentrations (20mg/ml) was only
associated with very small changes in disease activity. Such associations therefore may simply reflect
vitamin D’s role as a reverse acute-phase reactant.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the knowledge about vitamin D is rapidly increasing. Although the potential role of
vitamin D supplementation remains controversial, the wide variety of effects of this molecule on the
immune system might suggest a role of vitamin D in the future therapeutic studies (for evaluating the
relationship between vitamin D and the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases).

Key words: vitamin D, inflammation, autoimmune disease, cytokines

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