Genes change due to vitamin -D
Deficiency
Vitamin D May Influence Genes for Cancer, Autoimmune Disease
Last Updated: Sunday, 23
December 2011, 00:02 GMT
Scientists have discovered a link between
vitamin D and genes related to autoimmune
diseases and cancer.
The finding may explain why vitamin D
deficiency is a risk factor for a number of
serious illnesses, including multiple
sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid
arthritis, according to researchers from the
United Kingdom and Canada.
In the study, Sreeram Ramagopalan of Oxford
University and colleagues noted there is a
growing amount of evidence that vitamin D
deficiency is a risk factor for a wide range
of diseases, but it's not known exactly how
vitamin D is involved. It has been suspected
that genetics may contribute to this
connection.
Vitamin D has an effect on genes through the
vitamin D receptor, which binds to specific
locations on the human genome to influence
gene expression (the process by which a
gene's information is converted into the
structures operating in a cell). In this
study, the researchers mapped sites of
vitamin D receptor binding -- information
that can be used to identify disease-related
genes that might be influenced by vitamin D.
The investigators found that vitamin D
receptor binding is significantly enhanced
in regions of the human genome associated
with several common autoimmune diseases,
such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes
and Crohn's disease, and in regions
associated with cancers such as leukemia and
colorectal cancer.
The findings, published in the Aug. 23
online edition of the journal Genome
Research, highlight the serious risks
associated with vitamin D deficiency,
especially for people who may be genetically
predisposed to be sensitive to vitamin D
deficiency, the study authors explained in a
news release from Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory.
"Considerations of vitamin D supplementation
as a preventative measure for these diseases
are strongly warranted," Ramagopalan stated
in the news release.
People should consume between 200 and 600
international units of vitamin D daily,
according to a U.S. Institute of Medicine
guideline, and the American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends 400 international
units daily. The U.S. guideline is currently
under review, and many experts have called
for an increase in the recommended intake
levels.
Exposure to sunlight triggers the body to
naturally produce vitamin D, although it can
be hard to get enough in some regions during
certain parts of the year. Vitamin D is also
found in certain foods, such as fish,
cheese, egg yolks and fortified milk and
breakfast cereals.
More information
The Harvard School of Public Health has more
about vitamin D and health. |
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