Vitamin D appears to protect against autoimmune diseases including Type 1 Diabetes.
A new genetic analysis published Genome Research suggests that the vitamin interacts with genes specific for diabetes as well as colorectal cancer, multiple sclerosis and other ailments, according to a WebMD summary.
Researchers looked at the binding of vitamin D receptors to gene regions previously identified with different diseases, finding evidence of increased binding for the diseases. Vitamin D was shown to regulate genes involved in autoimmune disease and cancer.
The next challenge for researchers is to better understand how that interaction could cause the diseases, said one of the study’s scientists, Sreeram Ramagopalan, in a WebMD interview.
Far larger doses of vitamin D than are now recommended may be in order to benefit from its disease-preventing power. Current recommendations call for 200 IU (international units) daily for those up to age 50, 400 for people 51 to70 and 600 for those over 70. Ramagopalan says 2,000 IU may be needed.
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