12.07.20
A study published by researchers at Rutgers University found that vitamin D regulates calcium, and its absorption, in a section of the intestine previously thought not to have played a key role, and these findings may have important implications on how bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease may disrupt calcium regulation.
Calcium is vital to the structure and function of bones and muscles, and adequate concentrations of vitamin D are critical for the absorption of calcium to take place in the intestine.
The study, published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology, highlights the importance of the distal segments of the intestine, including the colon, in vitamin D’s regulation of calcium and bone calcification. Previously, it was though that this absorption only occurred in the first area of the intestine immediately beyond the stomach, known as the proximal intestine.
The study also found that a transporter of manganese, an essential element that plays a role in many cellular processes, was one of the genes most induced by vitamin D in both the proximal and distal intestine.
“The findings suggest that vitamin D may have a role not only in calcium absorption, but also in the cellular regulation of other essential ions and in the function of intestinal stem cells,” Sylvia Christakos, a professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said. This research may also lead to new strategies that can compensate for calcium malabsorption and increase the efficacy of intestinal calcium uptake to minimize bone loss due to bariatric surgery, small bowel resection, or reduced calcium absorption after menopause or due to aging.
Calcium is vital to the structure and function of bones and muscles, and adequate concentrations of vitamin D are critical for the absorption of calcium to take place in the intestine.
The study, published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology, highlights the importance of the distal segments of the intestine, including the colon, in vitamin D’s regulation of calcium and bone calcification. Previously, it was though that this absorption only occurred in the first area of the intestine immediately beyond the stomach, known as the proximal intestine.
The study also found that a transporter of manganese, an essential element that plays a role in many cellular processes, was one of the genes most induced by vitamin D in both the proximal and distal intestine.
“The findings suggest that vitamin D may have a role not only in calcium absorption, but also in the cellular regulation of other essential ions and in the function of intestinal stem cells,” Sylvia Christakos, a professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said. This research may also lead to new strategies that can compensate for calcium malabsorption and increase the efficacy of intestinal calcium uptake to minimize bone loss due to bariatric surgery, small bowel resection, or reduced calcium absorption after menopause or due to aging.