Vitamin D Analogs
Vitamin D has gone through a renaissance with the association of vitamin D deficiency with a wide array of common diseases including breast, colorectal and prostate cancers, cardio-vascular disease, autoimmune…
Vitamin D and Diabetes
Type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes are considered multifactorial diseases in which both genetic predisposition and environmental factors participate in their development. Many cellular, preclinical, and observational studies…
The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 ), the hormonally active form of vitamin D, exerts growth inhibitory and prodifferentiating effects on many malignant cells and retards tumor growth in animal models. Calcitriol…
Vitamin D: Extraskeletal Health
Vitamin D deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency and likely the most common medical condition in the world. The major cause of vitamin D deficiency has been the lack…
Vitamin D and the Immune System: New Perspectives on an Old Theme
Interaction with the immune system is one of the most well-established nonclassic effects of vitamin D. For many years this was considered to be a manifestation of granulomatous diseases such…
Vitamin D in Kidney Disease: Pathophysiology and the Utility of Treatment
Vitamin D physiology has gained more importance and publicity than any of its counterparts in the water- and fat-soluble vitamin groups combined. This is partly because vitamin D deficiency is…
Vitamin D and Fracture Prevention
This article discusses the amount of vitamin D supplementation needed and the desirable 25-hydroxyvitamin D level to be achieved for optimal fracture prevention. Vitamin D modulates fracture risk in 2…
Genetic Disorders and Defects in Vitamin D Action
Two rare genetic diseases can cause rickets in children. The critical enzyme to synthesize calcitriol from 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the circulating hormone precursor, is 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1α-hydroxylase (1α-hydroxylase). When this enzyme is…
Low Vitamin D Status: Definition, Prevalence, Consequences, and Correction
Vitamin D is obtained from cutaneous production when 7-dehydrocholesterol is converted to vitamin D 3 (cholecalciferol) by ultraviolet B radiation or by oral intake of vitamin D 2 (ergocalciferol) and…
Osteomalacia as a Result of Vitamin D Deficiency
Osteomalacia is an end-stage bone disease of chronic and severe vitamin D or phosphate depletion of any cause. Its importance has increased because of the rising incidence of vitamin D…
