Vitamin D regulates calcium in the intestine differently than previously thought

A Rutgers study found that vitamin D regulates calcium in a section of the intestine that was previously thought not to have played a key role. The findings have important implications for how bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, can disrupt calcium regulation.

In a healthy person, the body absorbs calcium to keep bones strong and perform other important functions such as helping muscles move and nerves carry messages between the brain and parts of the body. Vitamin D is essential for this calcium absorption from the gut and for gut function.

The study, published in the journal Molecular and cellular biology, stresses the importance of the distal segments of the intestine, including the colon, in regulating vitamin D, calcium and bone calcification. Previously, this regulation was thought to occur only in the proximal intestine, the first section of the intestine immediately beyond the stomach.

From the study, the researchers also learned that a manganese transporter – an essential element that plays a role in many cellular processes – was one of the most vitamin D-induced genes in both the proximal and distal gut.

The study’s lead author, Sylvia Christakos, a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, says these findings suggest that vitamin D plays other roles as well. “The findings suggest that vitamin D may play a role not only in calcium absorption, but also in cellular regulation of other essential ions and intestinal stem cell function,” he said.

This research may lead to new strategies that can compensate for calcium malabsorption and increase the effectiveness of intestinal calcium absorption to minimize bone loss due to bariatric surgery, small bowel resection, or reduced calcium absorption after surgery. menopause or due to aging.