A pilot study illuminates that high-dose vitamin D significantly improves lesions and depigmentation in psoriasis and vitiligo, respectively. Because Vitamin D deficiency is implicated in the pathophysiology of autoimmune responses, these findings may be applicable to other autoimmune disorders.
Vitamin D: A Hormone Critical to Health
Vitamin D insufficiency is a pandemic affecting nearly half of people worldwide, while one billion people are classified as vitamin D deficient. Hypovitaminosis D, or vitamin D deficiency, represents an independent predictor of total mortality in the general population, and conversely, vitamin D supplementation has been illustrated to be protective against mortality.Vitamin D enhances absorption of dietary calcium and phosphorus by 30-40% and 80%, respectively, but its physiological functions extend well-beyond mineral assimilation and balance. Vitamin D is known as a pleiotropic hormone, meaning that it elicits diverse and multi-faceted effects. In fact, local vitamin D production governs the expression of up to 200 genes. That receptors for vitamin D are found in so many organ systems, including the muscles, intestines, pancreas, and nervous system, illustrates its expansive and far-reaching effects.
