Lower levels of vitamin D found in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are linked to inflammation, potentially playing a role in the disease’s development, findings from a cross-sectional observational study published in Medicine show.  The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

The study investigated the link between vitamin D levels and inflammatory bowel diseases, focusing on Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). In a group of 106 participants, including 92 IBD patients and 14 healthy controls, the research found a substantial association between lower serum vitamin D levels and increased inflammatory markers in IBD patients.

The results showcased that individuals with CD and UC had notably lower serum vitamin D levels (16 ± 8.6 ng/mL) compared to healthy individuals (26 ± 9.73 ng/mL). Specifically, 32.6% of IBD patients exhibited vitamin D deficiency, while 66.3% had insufficient levels. In contrast, the healthy control group had a higher percentage (35.7%) of individuals with normal vitamin D levels.

The study also revealed something intriguing—when vitamin D levels were lower in people with inflammatory bowel diseases, markers linked to inflammation, such as white blood cell counts and certain proteins like CRP-C, tended to be higher. This suggests that as vitamin D levels decrease, signs of inflammation may increase, hinting at vitamin D playing a role in how inflammation happens in IBD. This could mean that maintaining healthy vitamin D levels might help in managing inflammation in these diseases.