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Vitamin D discovery outpaces FDA decision making.

Trevor G Marshall1

  • 1School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Western Australia. trevor.m@autoimmunityresearch.org

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|January 18, 2008
PubMed
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Vitamin D supplementation, while intended to prevent bone disease, may increase risks for immune dysfunction, obesity, and chronic diseases. Further research is needed on vitamin D

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • The US FDA promotes vitamin D fortification in foods like milk and cereals to combat rickets and osteoporosis.
  • Vitamin D plays a crucial role in calcium homeostasis and influences genes related to cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infections via the vitamin D receptor (VDR).
  • The VDR is a type 1 nuclear receptor and DNA transcription factor, with its functions rapidly evolving in molecular biology research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the potential adverse effects of widespread, lifelong vitamin D supplementation on public health.
  • To examine how vitamin D's role in gene expression, beyond calcium regulation, might impact chronic disease epidemics.
  • To highlight the discrepancy between rapid scientific advancements in vitamin D research and current clinical/regulatory practices.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on vitamin D's transcriptional activity and VDR function.
  • Analysis of the potential impact of food fortification policies on population health.
  • Exploration of the immunomodulatory properties of vitamin D (a secosteroid).

Main Results:

  • The FDA's proposed policies for increased vitamin D fortification overlook extensive research on its broader biological roles.
  • There is a significant body of research, averaging one new paper daily, detailing vitamin D's transcriptional activity, which is not adequately reviewed in regulatory dockets.
  • Widespread vitamin D supplementation may have unintended consequences, potentially contributing to immune dysfunction, obesity, and chronic diseases.

Conclusions:

  • Current FDA policies on vitamin D fortification may not fully account for the complex biological functions of vitamin D and its receptor (VDR).
  • Lifelong, widespread supplementation with vitamin D could inadvertently contribute to the rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases.
  • Clinical medicine needs to accelerate its integration of new molecular findings regarding VDR's diverse roles to inform public health strategies.