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Individuals with vitamin D resistance require higher blood concentrations to experience the same benefits as those without resistance.
Vitamin D Resistance: A Critical Factor in Autoimmune Disease Development
Maintaining high vitamin D levels is linked to better disease outcomes in patients with autoimmune conditions.
Recent research underscores the pivotal role of vitamin D in developing autoimmune diseases [1].
Vitamin D, with its multiple actions, particularly on the immune system, is increasingly used to prevent and treat various diseases.
Recent studies have highlighted the clinical benefits of treating autoimmune diseases with high doses of vitamin D3.
The need for high doses of vitamin D3 in treatment can be attributed to the body's developed resistance to vitamin D over time.
Resistance to vitamin D means that larger quantities are required to achieve the desired biological effect. Individuals with vitamin D resistance need higher blood concentrations for the same benefits observed in those without resistance.
This resistance explains the necessity of high doses for successful treatment of autoimmune diseases.
The primary reasons for developing vitamin D resistance are genetic predisposition and disruption in the function of the receptor that binds vitamin D to cells, often due to infections.
Vitamin D binds to a receptor in various parts of the human body (Vitamin D Receptor). Such receptors exist in DNA, regulating gene function, and on the surface of different tissue cells, regulating their overall function (skin, liver, bones, kidneys, white blood cells, pancreas, etc.).
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Image 1: Vitamin D3 binds to its receptor (Vitamin D Receptor) and activates a gene.
In a study published in Frontiers in Immunology, researchers examined the mechanisms leading to successful treatment of autoimmune disease patients with doses of 1,000 IU of Vit. D per kilogram of body weight.
In this protocol, a 60 kg autoimmune disease patient, for example, would receive 60,000 units of vitamin D daily. Indicators related to the activity of vitamin D are monitored, and the dose is adjusted accordingly to achieve maximum biological effect.
Researchers conclude that vitamin D resistance is a central factor in the development of autoimmunity. It can be addressed with therapeutic doses of vitamin D and monitoring indicators that provide insight into its biological action.
Safe Administration of D3
With sun exposure, vitamin D is produced in the skin as the precursor 25(OH)D3 (cholecalciferol).
It is then converted in various tissues into its biologically active form, 1,25(OH)2D3 (calcitriol).
The fact that it is produced as a precursor in the skin and then activated in tissues where needed ensures its non-toxicity within the body. This is why, in most cases, it is administered as a precursor, similar to the endogenously produced form with sun exposure, mimicking its physiological action in the body.
The administration of the biologically active vitamin (calcitriol) is recommended only in exceptional cases where the body cannot convert the precursor into the active form, such as renal insufficiency.
Vitamin D is a vital tool in treating autoimmune diseases. Administering therapeutic doses to counteract tissue resistance can improve the course of these diseases.
Our clinical experience has shown that correcting vitamin D deficiency does not provide full benefits when performed during the flare-up of an autoimmune disease.
Several weeks or months of administering therapeutic doses, along with correcting deficiencies in vitamin D cofactors such as vitamin K2, B-complex vitamins, magnesium, and zinc, are needed to meet the body's needs and observe significant clinical improvement [2,3].
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Bibliographic References
- Vitamin D Resistance as a Possible Cause of Autoimmune Diseases: A Hypothesis Confirmed by a Therapeutic High-Dose Vitamin D Protocol. Dirk Lemke et al. Front. Immunol. April 2021
- World aging population, chronic diseases and impact of modifiable-metabolic risk factors. Dr. Dimitris Tsoukalas, MD (Greece). European Institute of Nutritional Medicine, E.I.Nu.M. 20th International Congress of Rural Medicine 2018. Tokyo - Japan.
- Sufficient vitamin D status positively modified ventilatory function in asthmatic children following a Mediterranean diet enriched with fatty fish intervention study. Maria M Papamichael, Catherine Itsiopoulos, Katrina Lambert, Charis Katsardis, Dimitris Tsoukalas, Bircan Erbas. Nutr Res . 2020 Aug 16.
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