scope:

Preface

Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency is a worldwide public health problem in both developed and developing countries. Vitamin D promotes and maintains healthy bones and teeth, but with the near eradication of rickets in the early part of the twentieth century by the fortification of foods, chronic insufficiency has gone largely unrecognized. However, with (1) the current reemergence of nutritional rickets among infants, (2) recent evidence that low levels of circulating vitamin D are associated with increased risk and mortality from cancer, and (3) evidence of the potential beneficial effects of vitamin D on multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, aging, and microbial infections, there has been renewed interest in this vitamin. In 2007, Time magazine cited the benefits of vitamin D in its list of Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs, and vitamin D continues to receive extensive coverage in both the scientific and lay press. Although extensive research has been done on vitamin D, the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for its many benefits have not been fully elucidated. In November 2010, the Institute of Medicine issued new Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin D. The committee provided an exhaustive review of studies on potential health outcomes and found that the evidence supported only a role for vitamin D in bone health but not in other health conditions. However, it is clear that there is a preponderance of studies demonstrating a biologically plausible role for vitamin D in more than bone health. The focus of this book is on the role of vitamin D in oxidation, immunity, and aging. These topics are receiving increased attention in the research community but have not been covered extensively in past books.

This book is a state-of-the-art compilation of recent information and is divided into four sections that cover studies of vitamin D in regulating numerous aspects of health, disease, and aging. Section I, Vitamin D: An Overview, reviews literature regarding vitamin D and its genomic and nongenomic effects, the role of therapeutic analogs in treating disease, and the production of vitamin D by the body. The areas reviewed in this section provide a background for the subsequent sections. The chapters in Section II, Oxidative Stress, cover the role that vitamin D plays in modulating oxidative stress, with areas of focus including cancer, stress-mediated diseases, photoprotection of the skin, and energy metabolism. The chapters in Section III, Immunity and Disease, review evidence for vitamin D in regulating the immune response and the importance that it plays in protecting against autoimmune, infectious, and inflammatory diseases. The final section, Aging, focuses on the role that the vitamin D pathway plays in the regulation of the aging process, including aspects of oxidative stress, senescence, and mortality. Furthermore, its role in protection against cardiovascular disease and nervous system disorders is discussed.

The editor greatly appreciates the time and effort given by all of the authors, who have shared their knowledge in writing outstanding, timely, and scholarly chapters on the biological actions of vitamin D. The chapters in this book represent important contributions toward understanding the mechanisms by which vitamin D promotes health. In addition, the information presented greatly increases awareness of the importance that vitamin D plays during development, at birth, and throughout the aging process. It will serve as a valuable reference to researchers in academia, nutrition, medicine, and industry.