Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Autoimmune Diseases

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BlankVitamin D Deficiency Linked to Autoimmune Diseases

Study Also Shows Lack of Vitamin D May Also Be Linked to Some Cancers

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by J. , MD

Aug. 23, 2010 -- There is now biologic evidence to back up the belief that

vitamin D may protect against autoimmune diseases and certain cancers.

A new genetic analysis lends support to the idea that the vitamin interacts with

genes specific for colorectal cancer, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and

other diseases, says Oxford University genetic researcher Sreeram Ramagopalan.

The study is published in Genome Research.

When Ramagopalan and colleagues analyzed the binding of vitamin D receptors to

gene regions previously identified with different diseases, they found evidence

of increased binding for multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, lupus, rheumatoid

arthritis, colorectal cancer, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

" Genes involved in autoimmune disease and cancer were regulated by vitamin D, "

Ramagopalan tells WebMD. " The next step is understanding how this interaction

could lead to disease. "

For more

http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/news/20100823/vitamin-d-linked-to-autoim\

mune-diseases

or http://bit.ly/a8Xuwa