Why Vitamin D Deficiency Can Raise Autoimmune Disease Risk
The body can naturally produce vitamin D when skin is exposed to sunlight, but this process declines significantly in winter. There also aren't many food sources of vitamin D. But vitamin D is very important to the body. The vitamin D receptor can be found in many different tissues, and while the vitamin's roles in bone health and calcium level maintenance are well known , less is understood about its other functions, such as how it relates to immunity. Several immune cells have vitamin D receptors and gene activity in those cells can be affected by the vitamin. Low levels of vitamin D have also been associated with a variety of autoimmune disorders including inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis vulgaris, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes. Studies have also shown that vitamin D supplements can help lower the risk of autoimmune disease. A new study reported in Science Advances has provided new insights in...
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