Vitamin D is best known for helping build strong bones and supporting the immune system, but new research suggests it may also play an important role in controlling inflammation in people with inflammatory bowel disease, often called IBD.
IBD includes two long-term conditions, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which affect the digestive system. These illnesses can cause ongoing stomach pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and other serious problems that can greatly affect daily life. Scientists are now exploring whether vitamin D levels could influence how severe these diseases become.
A recent study led by Dr. Antonia Topalova-Dimitrova at the University Hospital St. Ivan Rilski and the Medical University in Sofia, Bulgaria, examined the connection between vitamin D and inflammation in people with IBD.
The research was published in the journal Medicine. The team compared 92 people living with IBD with 14 healthy individuals who did not have digestive disease. They measured vitamin D levels in the blood and also checked markers that show how much inflammation is present in the body.
The results showed a clear difference between the two groups. People with IBD had much lower vitamin D levels, averaging about 16 nanograms per milliliter, while healthy participants averaged around 26. More than 98 percent of the IBD patients had vitamin D levels that were considered low or deficient.
About one third had severe deficiency, and most of the rest still had levels below what doctors consider healthy. In contrast, over one third of the healthy group had normal vitamin D levels.
The researchers also noticed a strong pattern between vitamin D and inflammation. As vitamin D levels became lower, signs of inflammation became higher. This included increased white blood cell counts and higher levels of a protein linked to inflammation called C-reactive protein.
These findings suggest that low vitamin D may be connected to more active disease in the gut. However, the study cannot prove that low vitamin D directly causes inflammation. It only shows that the two appear to be closely related.
People with IBD are already more likely to have low vitamin D for several reasons. Damage to the digestive tract can make it harder for the body to absorb nutrients from food.
Some patients may spend less time in the sun because of fatigue or medication side effects. Others may limit certain foods that contain vitamin D because they trigger symptoms. Over time, these factors can lead to deficiency, which may worsen overall health.
Previous research has linked low vitamin D in IBD patients to a higher chance of symptoms returning, a weaker response to treatments, and a greater likelihood of needing surgery. Because of this, doctors are increasingly interested in whether improving vitamin D levels could help manage the disease more effectively.
Although more research is needed, experts say it may be helpful for people with IBD to monitor their vitamin D levels as part of their care.
This could include eating foods rich in vitamin D such as fatty fish, eggs, and fortified dairy products, spending safe amounts of time in sunlight, or taking supplements if a deficiency is confirmed. However, vitamin D should not be taken in high doses without medical advice, since too much can also cause health problems.
This study adds to growing evidence that vitamin D is important for more than just bone health. It may also support the immune system and help control inflammation in chronic diseases.
For people living with IBD, checking vitamin D levels could be a simple step that improves long-term health and quality of life. As scientists continue to study the link between nutrition and disease, findings like these offer hope for new ways to support treatment alongside modern medicine.
If you care about health, please read studies that vitamin D can help reduce inflammation, and vitamin K could lower your heart disease risk by a third.
For more health information, please see recent studies about new way to halt excessive inflammation, and results showing foods that could cause inflammation.
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