Research conducted by the University of South Australia shows a direct relationship between low levels of vitamin D and the high levels of inflammationproviding an important biomarker to identify individuals at increased risk or severity of chronic diseases with an inflammatory component.
Inflammation is an essential part of the body’s healing process. But when it persists, it can contribute to a wide range of complex diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases. The work, published in the scientific journal ‘International Journal of Epidemiology’, examined the genetic data of 294,970 participants in the UK Biobank, using Mendelian randomization to show the association between vitamin D and C-reactive protein levelsan indicator of inflammation.
Vitamin D supplements to reduce inflammation
Lead researcher Ang Zhou says the results suggest that increasing vitamin D in people with a deficiency can reduce chronic inflammation. “Inflammation is the body’s way of protecting tissues if it has been injured or has an infection. liver generates high levels of protein C reactive in response to inflammation, so when the body experiences chronic inflammation, it also shows higher levels of C-reactive protein. This study examined vitamin D and C-reactive proteins and found a one-way relationship between low vitamin D levels and high levels of C-reactive protein, expressed as inflammation. Boosting vitamin D in people with deficiencies could reduce chronic inflammation, helping them avoid a number of related diseases.”
The study also raises the possibility that having adequate concentrations of vitamin D can mitigate the complications arising from the obesity and reduce the risk or severity of chronic diseases with an inflammatory component, such as CVD, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases.
Principal Investigator and Director of the Australian Center for Precision Health at the University of South Australia, Professor Elina Hyppönen, says these results are important and provide an explanation for some of the controversies in the reported associations with vitamin D.
“We have repeatedly seen evidence of health benefits from increasing vitamin D concentrations in individuals with very low levels, while for others, there appears to be little or no benefit. These findings underscore the importance of avoid clinical vitamin D deficiencyand provide further evidence for the wide-ranging effects of the hormonal vitamin D,” Hyppönen says.
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