Beneficial Effects of Sunlight May Account for the Correlation Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Cardiovascular Health

Serum vitamin D levels negatively correlate with obesity and associated disorders such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, the mechanisms linking low vitamin D (VD) status to disease progression are not completely understood. In this study, we analyzed the effect of VD treatment on NASH in mice. C57BL6/J mice were fed a high-fat/high-sugar diet (HFSD) containing low amounts of VD for 16 weeks to induce obesity, NASH and liver fibrosis. The effects of preventive and interventional VD treatment were studied on the level of liver histology and hepatic/intestinal gene expression. Interestingly, preventive and to a lesser extent also interventional VD treatment resulted in improvements of liver histology. This included a significant decrease of steatosis, a trend towards lower non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score and a slight non-significant decrease of fibrosis in the preventive treatment group. In line with these changes, preventive VD treatment reduced the hepatic expression of lipogenic, inflammatory and pro-fibrotic genes. Notably, these beneficial effects occurred in conjunction with a reduction of intestinal inflammation. Together, our observations suggest that timely initiation of VD supplementation (preventive vs. interventional) is a critical determinant of treatment outcome in NASH. In the applied animal model, the improvements of liver histology occurred in conjunction with reduced inflammation in the gut, suggesting a potential relevance of vitamin D as a therapeutic agent acting on the gut–liver axis.

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Immune Modulatory Effects of Vitamin D on Viral Infections

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12092879 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 2879 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Maheen Siddiqui ◽

Judhell S. Manansala ◽

Hana A. Abdulrahman ◽

Gheyath K. Nasrallah ◽

Maria K. Smatti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Immune Cells ◽

Adaptive Systems ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Serum Vitamin D ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Vitamin D Levels ◽

The Impact ◽

Antiviral Mechanism

Viral infections have been a cause of mortality for several centuries and continue to endanger the lives of many, specifically of the younger population. Vitamin D has long been recognized as a crucial element to the skeletal system in the human body. Recent evidence has indicated that vitamin D also plays an essential role in the immune response against viral infections and suggested that vitamin D deficiency increases susceptibility to viral infections as well as the risk of recurrent infections. For instance, low serum vitamin D levels were linked to increased occurrence of high burdens viral diseases such as hepatitis, influenza, Covid-19, and AIDS. As immune cells in infected patients are responsive to the ameliorative effects of vitamin D, the beneficial effects of supplementing vitamin D-deficient individuals with an infectious disease may extend beyond the impact on bone and calcium homeostasis. Even though numerous studies have highlighted the effect of vitamin D on the immune cells, vitamin D’s antiviral mechanism has not been fully established. This paper reviews the recent mechanisms by which vitamin D regulates the immune system, both innate and adaptive systems, and reflects on the link between serum vitamin D levels and viral infections.

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Clinical factors correlated with vitamin D deficiency in patients with obesity scheduled for bariatric surgery: A single center experience

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831/a000662 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 90 (3-4) ◽

pp. 346-352

Author(s):

Vincenzo Pilone ◽

Salvatore Tramontano ◽

Carmen Cutolo ◽

Federica Marchese ◽

Antonio Maria Pagano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bariatric Surgery ◽

Vitamin D ◽

Vitamin D Deficiency ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Inverse Correlation ◽

Model Assessment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Serum Vitamin D ◽

Female Sex ◽

Vitamin D Levels

Abstract. We aim to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in patients scheduled for bariatric surgery (BS), and to identify factors that might be associated with VDD. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study involving all consecutive patients scheduled for BS from 2017 to 2019. The exclusion criteria were missing data for vitamin D levels, intake of vitamin D supplements in the 3 months prior to serum vitamin D determination, and renal insufficiency. A total of 206 patients (mean age and body mass index [BMI] of 34.9 ± 10.7 years, and 44.3 ± 6.99 kg/m2, respectively) met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled for data analysis. VDD (<19.9 ng/mL), severe VDD (<10 ng/mL), and vitamin D insufficiency (20–29.9 ng/mL) were present in 68.8 %, 12.5 %, and 31.2 % of patients, respectively. A significant inverse correlation was found between vitamin D levels and initial BMI, parathyroid hormone, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (r = −0.280, p < 0.05; r = −0.407, p = 0.038; r = −0.445, p = 0.005), respectively. VDD was significantly more prevalent in patients with higher BMI [−0.413 ± 0.12, CI95 % (−0.659; −0.167), p = 0.006], whereas no significant association between hypertension [−1.005 ± 1.65, CI95 % (−4.338; 2.326), p = 0.001], and diabetes type 2 (T2D) [−0.44 ± 2.20, CI95 % (−4.876; 3.986), p = 0.841] was found. We observed significant association between female sex and levels of vitamin D [6.69 ± 2.31, CI95 % (2.06; 11.33), p = 0.006]. The present study shows that in patients scheduled for BS, VDD deficiency is common and was associated with higher BMI, and female sex.

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Maternal Serum Vitamin D Levels During Pregnancy and Offspring Neurocognitive Development

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.2011-2644d ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 129 (3) ◽

pp. X11-X11

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Maternal Serum ◽

Neurocognitive Development ◽

Serum Vitamin D ◽

Vitamin D Levels

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Decreased serum vitamin D levels in children with asthma are associated with increased corticosteroid use.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.3437965.3141061 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Leonard Bacharier ◽

Avraham Beigelman

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Serum Vitamin D ◽

Vitamin D Levels ◽

Children With Asthma

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Association of Vitamin D Levels and Other Risk Factors with Asthma Exacerbations in Children

Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry ◽

10.36283/pjmd9-4/004 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Vitamin D ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Persistent Asthma ◽

Food Allergies ◽

P Value ◽

Serum Vitamin D ◽

Asthma Exacerbations ◽

Vitamin D Levels ◽

Animal Dander

Background: The risk factors for asthma exacerbations are well understood. However, the effect of vitamin D levels on number of asthma exacerbations per year is not clearly studied. The objective of the study was to ﬁnd out the association of serum vitamin D levels and asthma risk factors on asthma exacerbations. Methods: In this study, ninety-nine subjects from 5 to 15 years of age were recruited at an episode of acute exacerbation. It was a cross sectional study and carried out from 2012 to 2015. Pulmonary function test was done by spirometry. Asthma exacerbation was labeled when forced expiratory volume/ forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio was less than 80% (American Thoracic Society). Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines were used to classify asthma into mild, moderate and severe persistent asthma. Serum vitamin D levels were measured by chemiluminescence method. Pearson Chi-square test was applied and p value (p<0.05) was considered as statistically signiﬁcant. Results: Children who had exposure to animal dander had signiﬁcantly lower asthma exacerbations per year (p-value <0.046). There was no signiﬁcant association between vitamin D levels and number of exacerbations per years (p-value <0.099). Asthma was prevalent in girls of low socioeconomic status (SES) compared to males. However, there was no signiﬁcant association between smoke, exercise, home environment, food allergies, weather, pollen and dust with asthma exacerbations. Conclusion: Low levels of vitamin D were not associated with increased number of asthma exacerbations per year. However, children exposed to animal dander had lesser number of exacerbations per year (p-value <0.046). Keywords: Asthma; Vitamin D; Children; Exacerbations, Risk factors.

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