Following are some new Vitamin Dⁱ abstracts by Holick. With 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D involved in regulating more than 200 genesⁱ, you would think it might not be such a good idea to formulate treatment around Vitamin D starvation...
Jim

 Mol Aspects Med. 2008 Sep 2. [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links
    The vitamin D deficiency pandemic and consequences for nonskeletal health: Mechanisms of action.
    Holick MF.

    Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Diabetes, Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States.

    Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is important for childhood bone health. Over the past two decades, it is now recognized that vitamin D not only is important for calcium metabolism and maintenance of bone health throughout life, but also plays an important role in reducing risk of many chronic diseasesⁱ including type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, deadly cancers, heart diseaseⁱ and infectious diseases. How vitamin D is able to play such an important role in health is based on observation that all tissues and cells in the body have a vitamin D receptor, and, thus, respond to its active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. However, this did not explain how living at higher latitudes and being at risk of vitamin D deficiency increased risk of these deadly diseases since it was also known that the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels are normal or even elevated when a person is vitamin D insufficient. Moreover, increased intake of vitamin D or exposure to more sunlight will not induce the kidneys to produce more 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. The revelation that the colon, breast, prostateⁱ, macrophages and skin among other organs have the enzymatic machinery to produce 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D provides further insight as to how vitamin D plays such an essential role for overall health and well being. This review will put into perspective many of the new biologic actions of vitamin D and on how 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is able to regulate directly or indirectly more than 200 different genes that are responsible for a wide variety of biologic processes.

 

Curr Diab Rep. 2008 Oct;8(5):393-8.Links
    Diabetes and the vitamin d connection.
    Holick MF.

    Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Diabetes, Boston University School of Medicine, 715 Albany Street, M-1013, Boston, MA 02118, USA. mfholick@bu.edu

    Vitamin D deficiency, which is common in children and adults, causes rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis. Most organs and immuneⁱ cells have a vitamin D receptor, and some also have the capacity to metabolize 25-hydroxyvitamin D to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D is a potent immunomodulator that also enhances the production and secretion of several hormones, including insulin. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased risk of type 1 diabetes. Glycemic control and insulin resistance are improved when vitamin D deficiency is corrected and calcium supplementation is adequate. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (measure of vitamin D status) of less than 20 ng/mL is vitamin D deficiency and 21 to 29 ng/mL is insufficiency. Children and adults need at least 1000 IU of vitamin D per day to prevent deficiency when there is inadequate sun exposure.