Vitamin D-Effects on Skeletal and Extraskeletal Health and the Need for Supplementation

卷:5

Wacker, Matthias ; Holick, Michael F.

Boston Univ

关键词: vitamin D;    25-hydroxyvitamin D;    vitamin D deficiency;    osteoporosis;    fractures;    cancer;    type 2 diabetes mellitus;    cardiovascular diseases;    autoimmune diseases;    infectious diseases;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu5010111

学科分类：食品科学和技术

【 摘 要 】

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, has received a lot of attention recently as a result of a meteoric rise in the number of publications showing that vitamin D plays a crucial role in a plethora of physiological functions and associating vitamin D deficiency with many acute and chronic illnesses including disorders of calcium metabolism, autoimmune diseases, some cancers, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases. Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a global pandemic. The major cause for vitamin D deficiency is the lack of appreciation that sun exposure has been and continues to be the major source of vitamin D for children and adults of all ages. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of a healthy skeleton throughout life. There remains some controversy regarding what blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D should be attained for both bone health and reducing risk for vitamin D deficiency associated acute and chronic diseases and how much vitamin D should be supplemented.