Vitamin D regulates a wide array of genes involved in inflammation and immunity, and has been inconsistently associated with reduced risk of several autoimmune diseases in previous observational studies (1)
is an indisputable relation between vitamin D and the immune system (2)
with respect to in vitro, overwhelming evidence exists for a physiological role for the vitamin D system in immune regulation, and immune modulation can be observed by exposing immune cells to pharmacological doses of vitamin D metabolites
in animal models and humans, a correlation exists between adverse immune outcomes (infections and autoimmune diseases) and vitamin D deficiency
Dietary marine derived long chain omega 3 fatty acids decrease systemic inflammation and ameliorate symptoms in some autoimmune diseases
A randomised controlled trial (n=25,871 older adults, USA) (1) found that vitamin D (2000 IU/day) with or without omega 3 fatty acid supplementation (1000 mg/day) for five years reduced incident autoimmune disease compared with no supplementation (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.99, p=0.05)
study authors concluded that:
vitamin D supplementation for five years, with or without omega 3 fatty acids, reduced autoimmune disease by 22%, while omega 3 fatty acid supplementation with or without vitamin D reduced the autoimmune disease rate by 15% (not statistically significant). Both treatment arms showed larger effects than the reference arm (vitamin D placebo and omega 3 fatty acid placebo)
clinical importance of these findings is high because these are well tolerated, non-toxic supplements, and other effective treatments to reduce the incidence of autoimmune diseases are lacking
also there were consistent results across autoimmune diseases and increasing effects with time
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