Skin Disease Can Be Treated with Vitamin D

The presence of a high concentration of vitamin D in the human body has been linked to a decrease in the severity of atopic dermatitis cases, a skin disease that is present in 10 to 20 percent of children worldwide, as well as in 1 to 3 percent of adults. Researchers from the San Diego School of Medicine at the University of California uncovered that by treating test subjects with 4000 IUs of oral Vitamin D3, dubbed cholecalciferol, every day, for three full weeks, the incidence of cathelicidin, a peptide that fights off viruses trying to enter the skin, was increased substantially.
 

The test was conducted on 28 patients, half of which had the disease. The other half was used as a control group, meaning the scientists analyzed the effects vitamin D had on the sick ones by comparison to the effects the substance produced in those who were healthy. Samples were collected from the portions of the skin affected by atopic dermatitis on days 1 and 21 of the research. Biopsy results confirmed that vitamin boosted the production of cathelicidin, allowing the skin to regain much of its defense mechanisms.
 

The team warns that the test results come from only a small batch of subjects and that future studies are required on the matter. However, if the trend is persistent, dermatologists say that this disease, which currently causes a lot of pain and includes symptoms such as itchiness and scaling, could be treated by simply giving infants high doses of vitamin D3. Furthermore, supplementing adult diets with moderate doses of the vitamin could also prevent the development of the disease later in life.
 

Referring to the effects of D3 on cathelicidin production levels in normal skin, Tissa R. Hata, M.D., associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego, said "It also slightly elevated its production in normal skin in this study." This means that, as already thought, vitamin D strengthens the immune system in the skin, the first barrier our body has against outside threats. The vitamin can also be synthesized naturally, by exposing the skin to UV radiations present in natural sunlight. However, prolonged exposure can cause severe skin damage or even cancer, so sun blocks are advisable when out in the sun for extended periods of time.