Isotonix

There’s been plenty of research on vitamin D, but the latest coming out of the United Kingdom might be some of the most fascinating.

According to a new report in the magazine Genome Research, scientists say they have uncovered evidence suggesting that vitamin D can help control “major diseases such as certain types of cancers, dementia, and autoimmune disorders.”

Vitamin D is believed to have a role in controlling genes linked to major diseases such as certain types of cancers, dementia, and autoimmune disorders, new research has found.

Dr. Sreeram Ramagopalan, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University, told CNN that researchers “now have a good idea of the genes involved in common complex diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus”:

We found that the genes involved in autoimmune disease and cancer were much more likely than chance to be regulated by vitamin D. Our study provides the first genome wide map of the actions of vitamin D, showing just how important the vitamin is, by regulating thousands of genes.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is found in some foods and endogenously produced when sunlight strikes the skin and activates vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D supports the modulation of many genes that are responsible for encoding proteins that regulate normal cell cycle activity. Vitamin D levels have been strongly correlated to healthy cells and, through its interaction with VDR (vitamin D receptor), vitamin D supports the healthy expression of the gene encoding renin.

According to the new study, “VDR was found to bind to a number of genes associated with autoimmune disease and cancer, in line with epidemiological data,” the researchers wrote. According to Dr. Ramagopalan:

“It seems that if you are born with genes that increase your risk of these diseases, vitamin D may act to correct this genetic predisposition. That would be the take-home message.”

3 Responses to “New study links vitamin D, disease control”