The Foundation for Blood Research finds more effective ways to identify, manage, and prevent human disease through clinical and laboratory investigation, epidemiology, outreach science education, computer-based analysis, public health program design, population screening, and clinical testing.
Vitamin D has an important hormonal role in human health. As sunlight exposure is necessary for vitamin D synthesis by the skin, populations living in northern latitudes such as northern New England are at increased risk for deficiency or insufficiency.
Lack of vitamin D may play an important role in autoimmune disease, including conditions such as diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.
In pregnancy, a lack of vitamin D has health consequences for both the mother and the fetus. Conditions for the mother include gestational diabetes mellitus and pre-eclampsia. A lack of vitamin D for the fetus can have long lasting consequences into childhood that include reduced bone mass and increased rates of asthma.
More information available on our Vitamin D Factsheet
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