Vitamin D Metabolism: Implications in Metabolic Health and Disease

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 834

Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
Interests: nutrition; metabolic health; dietary fiber; vitamin D; obesity; inflammation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physiology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: critically ill patients; micronutrients; vitamins; minerals; nutritional assessment; requirements; biomarkers; antioxidants; oxidative stress; inflammation; infection; supplementation; metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Obesity is currently impacting a third of the U.S. population, disrupting the metabolic processes and increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in disease prevention in addition to its classic role in bone health. The regulatory role of vitamin D in metabolic health may provide insight into the basis of nutrition and metabolism, as vitamin D deficiency is often characterized among individuals with overweight and obesity, leading to metabolic complications such as insulin resistance, cancers, gut dysbiosis, autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammation. Vitamin D is a provitamin that has been known to maintain bone mineralization. Recent advancements in research has suggested that vitamin D also exerts a unique role in the immune system and metabolic health, as the expressions of vitamin D receptors are identified in multiple tissues such as adipose tissues, the colon, and the pancreas. This Special Issue aims to solicit original research papers, review articles, and meta-analyses on topics surrounding the role of vitamin D in metabolic health, such as obesity, cardiovascular health, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, etc., in both preclinical and clinical stages. We welcome topics on nutritional interventions targeting vitamin D metabolism for disease prevention and management, characterization of mechanistic pathways and metabolic/microbiome profiles, and establishment of novel research models for vitamin D-related research. We hope the information generated from this Special Issue will allow us to gain deeper insight into how vitamin D may contribute to the development of metabolic health and thus identify a potential dietary intervention for prevention of metabolic diseases.

Dr. Gar Yee Koh
Prof. Dr. Elena Planells
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vitamin D
  • metabolic disease
  • micronutrient
  • obesity
  • diabetes
  • cardiovascular health
  • nutrition

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 1884 KB  
Article
Relationships Among Adipose Tissue Distribution, Vitamin D, and Bone Metabolism in Normoglycemic and Type 2 Diabetic Individuals
by Tian-Hang Ma, Juan Zhao, Kun-Hou Zhou, Ya-Xin Guan, Fan Zuo, Xin Nian, Yi Zheng, Wen-Jiao Wang, Li-Juan Zhang, Tsutomu Kazumi, Jingshan Huang and Bin Wu
Metabolites 2026, 16(6), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo16060379 - 31 May 2026
Viewed by 417
Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the interplay between adipose distribution, vitamin D metabolites, and bone mineral density (BMD) in Normal Glucose Tolerance (NGT) and type 2 Diabetic (T2DM) individuals. Methods: 167 participants (NGT: 61; T2DM: 106) were enrolled. Serum 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D3, [...] Read more.
Objectives: To investigate the interplay between adipose distribution, vitamin D metabolites, and bone mineral density (BMD) in Normal Glucose Tolerance (NGT) and type 2 Diabetic (T2DM) individuals. Methods: 167 participants (NGT: 61; T2DM: 106) were enrolled. Serum 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D3, Parathyroid Hormone (PTH), and Ca were quantified. Visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) adipose areas were assessed via dual bioelectrical impedance analysis. BMD and body composition were assessed via DXA. Metabolic indices (HOMA-IR, HOMA-β, ISI) were calculated. Results: 1. NGT: 25(OH)D was unrelated to adiposity. Conversely, 1,25(OH)2D3 was correlated inversely with VAT, SAT, body mass index (BMI), and Fat Mass Index (FMI), with VAT being the strongest independent predictor. 2. T2DM: High VAT correlated with insulin resistance yet paradoxically higher BMD. 25(OH)D correlated positively with Z-score, while 1,25(OH)2D3 correlated negatively with lumbar BMD. 3. VAT exerted a greater influence on insulin resistance than SAT, particularly in T2DM. Conclusions: 1. Visceral adiposity is the primary determinant of active 1,25(OH)2D3 metabolism in both NGT and T2DM individuals. 2. 1,25(OH)2D3 levels may be more closely associated with adiposity-related metabolic alterations than 25(OH)D. Despite lower 1,25(OH)2D3, the positive association between VAT and BMD in T2DM suggests complex mechanisms where visceral fat may paradoxically influence bone metabolism while driving insulin resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vitamin D Metabolism: Implications in Metabolic Health and Disease)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop