title: Vitamin D and gastrointestinal diseases: inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.
abstract: Over the past 5 years, there has been a rapid resurgence of interest in vitamin D outside of its traditional role in metabolic bone disease. Some nontraditional roles ascribed to vitamin D include anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects. These effects have led to possible implications in the pathophysiology of immune-mediated diseases including multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In addition, vitamin D insufficiency has been linked to higher rates of cancers including colon, prostate and breast cancers. Given these diverse associations of vitamin D and disease states, this review describes recent advances with regard to vitamin D and gastrointestinal diseases, in particular IBD and colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Calgary, 6D26, Teaching, Research and Wellness Building, 3280 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1.
authors.forename: Maitreyi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raman
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Milestone
authors.forename: Julian R F
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Ailsa L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Subrata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh