title: McCollum Award Lecture, 1994: vitamin D--new horizons for the 21st century.
abstract: Vitamin D is absolutely essential for the maintenance of a healthy skeleton throughout our lives. There is mounting evidence that vitamin D insufficiency and vitamin D deficiency in elderly people is a silent epidemic that results in bone loss and fractures. It is casual exposure to sunlight that provides most humans with their vitamin D requirement. Seasonal changes, time of day, latitude, aging, sunscreen use, and melanin pigmentation can substantially influence the cutaneous production of vitamin D. Although the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D in adults is 5 micrograms (200 IU), there is mounting evidence that in the absence of exposure to sunlight the vitamin D requirement is at least 15 micrograms (600 IU)/d. The skin is a target tissue for the active form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol). 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol inhibits the proliferation of cultured keratinocytes and induces them to differentiate. 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol and its analogs have been developed as an effective new therapy for the treatment of the hyperproliferative skin disease psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, MA 02118.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Holick
mesh_terms: D001363:Awards and Prizes; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010777:Photochemistry; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D012279:Rickets / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013472:Sunlight; D014481:United States; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; D002117:Calcitriol