Vitamin D and autoimmunity: Is vitamin D status an environmental factor affecting autoimmune disease prevalence?

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

222 Scopus citations

Abstract

The environment in which the encounter of antigen with the immune system occurs determines whether tolerance, infectious immunity, or autoimmunity results. Geographical areas with low supplies of vitamin D (for example Scandinavia) correlate with regions with high incidences of multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and diabetes. The active form of vitamin D has been shown to suppress the development of autoimmunity in experimental animal models. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency increases the severity of at least experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (mouse multiple sclerosis). Targets for vitamin D in the immune system have been identified, and the mechanisms of vitamin D-mediated immunoregulation are beginning to be understood. This review discusses the possibility that vitamin D status is an environmental factor, which by shaping the immune system affects the prevalence rate for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and juvenile diabetes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)230-233
Number of pages4
JournalProceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine
Volume223
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2000

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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