Vitamin D and immune function: an overview
Proc Nutr Soc. 2011 Aug 18:1-12.
Hewison M.
UCLA and Orthopaedic Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Orthopaedic Hospital Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 615 Charles E. Young, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Immunomodulatory actions of vitamin D have been recognised for over a quarter of a century, but it is only in the last few years that the significance of this to normal human physiology has become apparent. Two key factors have underpinned this revised perspective. Firstly, there are increasing data linking vitamin insufficiency with prevalent immune disorders. Improved awareness of low circulating levels of precursor 25-hydroxyvitamin D in populations across the globe has prompted epidemiological investigations of health problems associated with vitamin D insufficiency. Prominent among these are autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and Crohn's disease, but more recent studies indicate that infections such as tuberculosis may also be linked to low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. The second factor expanding the link between vitamin D and the immune system is our improved knowledge of the mechanisms that facilitate this association.
It is now clear that cells from the immune system contain all the machinery needed to convert 25-hydroxyvitamin D to active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and for subsequent responses to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. Mechanisms such as this are important for promoting antimicrobial responses to pathogens in macrophages, and for regulating the maturation of antigen-presenting dendritic cells. The latter may be a key pathway by which vitamin D controls T-lymphocyte (T-cell) function.
However, T-cells also exhibit direct responses to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, notably the development of suppressor regulatory T-cells.
Collectively these observations suggest that vitamin D is a key factor linking innate and adaptive immunity, and both of these functions may be compromised under conditions of vitamin D insufficiency.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
372 studies cited this paper as of May 2021
See also VitaminDWiki
- Fight Cancer with more than cut, burn, and poison – Nobel prize for T-Cell – Oct 2018
- Autoimmunity, T Cells and vitamin D: A chemical network analysis – May 2013
- All items in Immunity and Vitamin D
273 items - Search VitaminDWiki for T-cell 6,400 hits as of May 2021
- Overview Influenza and vitamin D
- Overview Tuberculosis and Vitamin D
- The vitamin D receptor and T cell function – June 2013
- Autoimmune diseases and over-active T cells (which are deactivated by vitamin D) – March 2014
- Vitamin D and Immune Function – Review July 2013 which has the following chart
- Covid-19, T cells, and Vitamin D
- T-cells increased with monthly doses of 140,000 IU vitamin D – April 2014
- Autoimmune diseases and over-active T cells (which are deactivated by vitamin D) – March 2014
- Autoimmunity, T Cells and vitamin D: A chemical network analysis – May 2013
- Vitamin D helps T-cell and immune system – overview Aug 2011
- Fight Cancer with more than cut, burn, and poison – Nobel prize for T-Cell – Oct 2018
- Vitamin D associated with reduced T-cell attacks in Multiple Sclerosis – Sept 2012
- Vitamin D-binding protein controls T cell responses to vitamin D in the lab – Sept 2014
Immunity category starts with
273 items in Immunity category see also
Virus category listing has1401 items along with related searches Overview Influenza and vitamin D
Vitamin D helps both the innate and adaptive immune systems fight COVID-19 – Jan 2022
Vitamin D aids the clearing out of old cells (autophagy) – many studies
600,000 IU of Vitamin D (total) allowed previously weak immune systems to fight off a virus antigen - Nov 2020
Search for treg OR "t-cell" in VitaminDWiki 1440 items as of Jan 2020
228 VitaminDWiki pages contained "infection" in title (June 2024)
Search VitaminDWik for BACTERIA in title 25 items as of Aug 2019
Vitamin D and the Immune System – chapter Aug 2019
7X less risk of influenza if Vitamin D levels higher than 30 ng – Oct 2017
Common cold prevented and treated by Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Echinacea – review April 2018
Vitamin D improves T Cell immunity – RCT Feb 2016
Immune system - great 11-minute animated video - Aug 2021
Only the brain is more complex, nothing about Vitamin D
18 titles in VitaminDWiki contained INNATE or ADAPTIVE as of Jan 2023
Increasing publications on vitamin D and Infection
52 studies are in both Immunity and Virus categories Vitamin D helps T-cell and immune system – overview Aug 201111672 visitors, last modified 25 May, 2021, This page is in the following categories (# of items in each category)Attached files
ID Name Uploaded Size Downloads 15637 Hewsion.jpg admin 25 May, 2021 94.96 Kb 802 15636 vitamin-d-and-immune-function-an-overview.pdf admin 25 May, 2021 389.71 Kb 301