Three reasons for vitamin D supplementation

As days are getting shorter and darker and the sunlight is in short supply, vitamin supplementation may be beneficial.

Vitamin D has many therapeutic values to mention just a few:-

1.   Resistance to infections - vitamin D has immuno-regulatory properties. Vitamin D stimulates the maturation of Natural Killer (NK) cells (Fernandes de Abreu et al 2009) and vitamin D receptors are found in significant concentrations in T lymphocytes and  macrophages (Deluca & Cantoma 2001).

2.   Inflammation - Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to inhibit the influx of inflammatory cytokines in the lung, while increasing the secretion of anti-inflammatory interleukin 10 by T-regulatory cells (Sandhu & Casale 2010). Vitamin D has been shown to exert beneficial effects on Th1 cell mediated inflammatory conditions (Ikeda et al 2010).  As reported by Timms et al (2002), lack of vitamin D is also associated with increased levels of MMP9 (matrix metalloproteinase), enzymes involved in degradation of extracellular proteins & inflammation.

References:

Deluca FH and Cantorna MT (2001) Vitamin D: its role and uses in immunology The FASEB Journal 15:2579-2585

Fernandes de Abreu DA Eyles D Féron F (2009) Vitamin D a neuro-immunomodulator: Implications for neurodegenerative and autoimmune disease Psychoneuroendocrinology 34 Suppl 1 S265-77

Homa ST (1995) Calcium and meiotic maturation of the mammalian oocyte  Molecular Reproduction and Development  40 1 122-34

Ikeda U Wakita D Ohkuri T Chamoto K Kitamura H Iwakura Y Nishimura T (2010) 1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) and all-trans retinoic acid synergistically inhibit the differentiation and expansion of Th17 cells  Immunology Letters (online) last accessed 30.08.2010 at  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T75-50KWFSH-1&_user=4315376&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=4315376&md5=0db7205a5e444b36b920db657faf0f40&searchtype=a

Timms PM Mannan N Hitman GA Noonan K Mills PG Syndercombe-Court D Aganna E Price CP  Boucher BJ (2002) Circulating MMP9, vitamin D and variation in the TIMP-1 response with VDR genotype: mechanisms for inflammatory damage in chronic disorders? QJM 95 12 787-96

Thys-Jacobs S Donovan D Papadopoulos A Sarrel P Bilezikian JP (1999) Vitamin D and calcium dysregulation in the polycystic ovarian syndrome Steroids 64 6 430-5

Sandhu MS Casale TB (2010) The role of vitamin D in asthma Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 105 3 191-9