A recent study conducted by researchers at Brigham University Hospital in Boston, USA, revealed new benefits of vitamin D related to autoimmune diseases.
And according to the study, the results of which were published in the Journal of the “Academy of Nutrition,” taking supplements that contain vitamin D helps stave off the risk of psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other autoimmune diseases.
The researchers noted that those who took 2,000 international units per day of “sunshine vitamin D” for more than five years reduced the risk of autoimmune diseases by 22 percent, when compared to their counterparts who took a placebo.
Commenting on the results of the study, Karen Kostenbader, a specialist in rheumatology at Brigham Hospital, said: “Vitamin D binds to receptors in cells of the immune system, to turn on a group of genes involved in the function of the immune system.”
The study, called the “Vitamin D and Omega-3” trial, included nearly 26,000 adults, with an average age of 67 years, who were not deficient in the “sunshine vitamin” and who had good immunity.
The study found that those who took vitamin D alone or with omega-3 fatty acids had lower rates of autoimmune diseases than people who took a placebo or omega-3 acids alone, after more than five years of follow-up. Note that the effect of these supplements began to appear two years after the start of the experiment.
Despite the positive results of vitamin D in the trial, the researchers called for consulting a doctor before taking this type of supplement, because it may not be suitable for some people who suffer from kidney stones or certain types of diseases.