New research suggests that vitamin D may help to prevent skin infections in people suffering from atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a form of eczema, and is a chronic skin condition affecting 10-20% of children and 1-3% of adults. Individuals with atopic dermatitis have an increased risk of acquiring a wide range of skin infections. This increased infection risk has been linked to a defect in the immune system leading to a decreased ability to produce certain important anti-microbial proteins like cathelicidin. These proteins are normally present in wounded and injured skin and help prevent infections.
A recent study carried out by researchers at the University of California San Diego examined the effects of vitamin D supplementation on cathelicidin production in the skin of 14 individuals with atopic dermatitis and 14 “normal” individuals. Each individual was given 4000 IU of vitamin D for 21 days. At the end of the study, skin samples taken from lesional skin of the atopic individuals showed a significant increase in cathelicidin expression, with levels increasing from 3.53 to 23.91 relative copy units (RCUs). Normal skin, on the other hand, showed a less dramatic change, with cathelicidin levels increasing from 1.0 to 1.78 RCUs.
Since the increase in cathelicidin levels was seen primarily in lesional skin the authors proposed that vitamin D is critical to allow the affected skin of individuals with atopic dermatitis to increase cathelicidin to the normal levels associated with an injured state. Normal skin retains lower cathelicidin levels consistent with a non-injured and non-infected state. The results of this research suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be very important and beneficial for individuals with atopic dermatitis.
Hata TR et al. Administration of oral vitamin D induces cathelicidin production in atopic individuals. J Allergy Clin Immunol; 122(4): 829-831.
For more information see Vitamin D3
|
