Can vitamin D reduce the risk of developing autoimmune disease?

Vitamin D has various roles in the body but is mostly known for helping the body absorb calcium. However, research has also shown that vitamin D may be beneficial to the immune function and may help with reducing inflammation and disease activity in certain autoimmune diseases.

Researchers found vitamin D to be part of a process that is "essential for normal immune function and therefore impaired or insufficient vitamin D levels may lead to dysregulation of immune responses." Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with higher risks for autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. There is also evidence that Vitamin D may play a role in preventing the development of autoimmune diseases.

To further explore this, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted a randomized, placebo controlled study published in 2022 to explore the use of Vitamin D in reducing the incidence of autoimmune disease. In this 5-year study, over 25,000 women were randomized into four different groups in which they received: vitamin D with omega-3, vitamin D with a placebo, omega-3 with a placebo, or placebo only. Through this study, researchers found that women who were taking vitamin D supplements (2000 IU per day), with or without omega-3, had a 22% reduced risk of developing autoimmune disease.

When only the last 3 years were considered, the risk of developing an autoimmune disease was reduced by 39% in the Vitamin D group compared to the placebo group, suggesting that long term use of Vitamin D had a greater effect in reducing autoimmunity.

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