Vitamin D in Human Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Vitamin D and its metabolites are well-studied steroid hormones that possess biological and physiology activities that extend far beyond the regulation of mineral homeostasis. Vitamin D deficiency or development of anomalies in metabolism and/or signaling can lead to an increased risk of developing debilitating conditions, not only towards one’s own skeletal system, but to the cardiovascular, cutaneous, nervous, immune, and energy metabolism systems, as well. This has become more evident based on the latest updates derived from large-scale vitamin D supplementation trials that take into consideration, in part, racial background and vitamin D status. These trials include the Vitamin D and Omege-3 trial (VITAL) that focused on acute and chronic conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. The VITAL study reported a decrease in invasive cancer-related death rates after 5 years of vitamin D daily supplementation adjusted for various parameters, including race and body composition. Recent advances in cancer research per se have also provided insights into how vitamin D and the nutritional environment dictate (stem) cells to contribute toward homeostasis and tumorigenesis. How vitamin D can differentially affect the progression of prostate cancer between African American and Caucasian men is starting to be explored in more detail as well. Collectively, these reports argue for an increase in the daily uptake of vitamin D to 2000 IU for adults, and the possibility of using low-calcemic vitamin D analogues to treat certain types of cancers.

In addition to cancer, new studies surrounding vitamin D metabolism and activity have investigated the relationship between the vitamin D binding protein and organ structures such as mammary glands, as well as the development of vitamin D metabolism-based biomarker systems that may better track chronic kidney disease progression. The impact of vitamin D on the microbiome and immunity has also been looked at of late. As an example, vitamin D plays a role in shaping the microbiome in patients with cystic fibrosis, and calcitriol has also been shown to suppress inflammation in an animal model for Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, a severe skin-blistering disease. The impact of genetics and epigenetics on vitamin D has also taken center stage, as the genetic background of offspring and epigenetic dysregulation by maternal vitamin D deficiency can influence disease progression into the next generation, and perhaps beyond.

With the new genera of studies geared towards a better grasp of the basic and translational aspects of vitamin D, it is now a perfect time to put forth a Special Issue which focuses on vitamin D and human health and disease. Hence, the goal of this Special Issue is to provide a set of articles that bring to light the new opportunities, challenges, and prospects of vitamin D related to overall health.

Dr. Thomas S. Lisse
Guest Editor

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