MONTREAL, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers say vitamin D can counter the effects of Crohn's disease. Researchers at Montreal's McGill University Health Center and University of Montreal found vitamin D acts directly on the beta defensin 2 gene, which encodes an anti-microbial peptide and the NOD2 gene that alerts cells to the presence of invading microbes.
Both Beta-defensin and NOD2 have been linked to Crohn's disease -- an autoimmune disorder in which a defect in innate immune handling of intestinal bacteria leads to inflammatory bowel disease.
"Our data suggests, for the first time, that vitamin D deficiency can contribute to Crohn's disease," study leader Dr. John White of McGill says in a statement.
White suggests siblings of patients with Crohn's disease who have not as yet developed the disease make sure they are vitamin D sufficient. "It's something that's easy to do, because they can simply go to a pharmacy and buy vitamin D supplements," he says.
The study findings are published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
4 comments:
This is rather interesting. My doctor recently discovered that I have a vitamin D deficiency. I presumed it was a result of not being able to absorb vitamins normally in my small bowel, combined with the various steroidal treatments I've been taking. Its interesting to think that this might have been a problem all along, or at least that it might be exacerbating my problems.
thanks for the post!
Some studies suggest that as many as 1/3 of Americans are Vitamin D deficient. Even healthy people should take vitamin D as it is not unhealthy in high amounts and significantly improves immune function. It together with vitamin C and calcium give Kryptonian health, even to us with Crohn's and UC.
Have you ever looked into diet for Crohn's and other IBD's? If no doctor hasn't told you and I know they haven't it is what you eat that causes and exacerbates symptoms. I have had Crohn's for six years and the SCD diet (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) has saved my life. Its not that hard once you think about a life possibly without drugs. Google it if you are interested.
Just curious to know if vitamin D pills have agreed with you? When I was doctoring in Milwaukee, they pushed the use of this vitamin, but it didn't seem to agree...not horrible, just not quite right. When we got to Minnesota, my doc at the Mayo Clinic didn't push it at all. I do eat a lot of food with vit D in it.
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