Solar Radiation and Vitamin D: Mitigating Environmental Factors in Autoimmune Disease

Gerry K. Schwalfenberg
Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Suite No. 301, 9509-156 Street, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2M7, Canada
Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 619381, 9 pages
doi:10.1155/2012/619381
Received 3 July 2011; Revised 29 November 2011; Accepted 13 December 2011
Copyright © 2012 Gerry K. Schwalfenberg. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This paper looks at the environmental role of vitamin D and solar radiation as risk reduction factors in autoimmune disease. Five diseases are considered: multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disease of the thyroid, and inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical relevant studies and factors that may indicate evidence that autoimmune disease is a vitamin D-sensitive disease are presented. Studies that have resulted in prevention or amelioration of some autoimmune disease are discussed. An example of the utility of supplementing vitamin D in an unusual autoimmune disease, idiopathic thrombocytic purpura, is presented.

PDF is attached at bottom of this page
- - - - - - - - - - -

See also Vitamin D Life

• All items in Autoimmunity and Vitamin D 164 items
• Huge increase in food allergies in Australia may be due to low vitamin D
• Overview MS and Vitamin D
• Overview Diabetes and Vitamin D
• Overview RA and Vitamin D
• All items in Gut and Vitamin D 169 items
• All items in Category Thyroid and Parathyroid 70 items
• Overview Metabolic Syndrome and vitamin D
• All items in VitamiDWiki mentioning Schwalfenberg 102 as of Oct 2012
• Many vitamin D articles and videos by Schwalfenberg in Canada

See also web

• Google Scholar search for "Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura" "vitamin d” 776 items Oct 2012