Just how big of a role does Vitamin D play in your immune system?

Getting your daily dose of sunshine for some good ‘ol vitamin D is common knowledge, but what many people may not know is why getting that daily dose of the sunshine vitamin is so important. In fact, vitamin D has recently been implicated as an important aspect of healthy immune function, for it has been shown to play a role in skeletal health, and more recently, vitamin D has been implicated for its immunosuppressant properties.

A new paper by Skaaby et al. brings to light new research on the relationship between low vitamin D levels as a risk factor for developing an autoimmune disease. Low vitamin D levels occur more frequently in northern latitudes where the sun’s intensity is not sufficient for vitamin D production during winter months. According to recent research, the incidence of autoimmune diseases is also higher in these northern latitudes, suggesting a possible relationship between the two.