INA - SOURCES
Vitamin D supplementation may help rebalance immune responses to gut bacteria in people with IBD, though larger controlled studies are needed.
Vitamin D supplements may influence how the immune system reacts to gut bacteria in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study led by Mayo Clinic and published in Cell Reports Medicine.
The results give scientists a clearer view of the relationship between the gut microbiome and immune activity in this chronic condition. They also suggest possible new directions for treatment.
IBD includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and it affects millions of people around the world. In part, the condition develops when the immune system responds inappropriately to bacteria in the gut that are normally harmless, a sign that immune tolerance has broken down.
Many existing treatments are aimed at calming inflammation. However, scientists still know less about how to rebuild a healthier balance between immune defenses and the gut microbiome.
“This study suggests vitamin D may help rebalance how the immune system sees gut bacteria,” says lead author John Mark Gubatan, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida. “That’s an important step toward understanding how we might restore immune tolerance in IBD.”