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The effect of melanism and vitamin D synthesis on the incidence of autoimmune disease

Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology volume 5, pages99–105(2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Melanin has several physiological roles in maintaining health, but, notably, it affects the synthesis of vitamin D. Melanin is the primary determinant of the degree of skin pigmentation and protects the body from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25[OH]2D3) in the skin, however, is dependent on ultraviolet B light. Highly pigmented skin, to the level found in people of African origin, abrogates almost all ultraviolet-induced 1,25(OH)2D3 synthesis. Numerous animal models and clinical studies have underlined the essential role of vitamin D as a modulator of the different processes of the immune system. Evidence indicates that serum concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3 and the prevalence of autoimmune diseases in a certain population are associated with the latitude at which that population resides. This article explores the relationship between skin pigmentation, vitamin D and the prevalence of autoimmune disease.

Key Points

  • Skin pigmentation leads to a decrease in vitamin D synthesis in the skin, which in turn reduces serum vitamin D concentration

  • Vitamin D has a restraining effect on the adaptive immune system, reducing the extent of the system's activation and reaction to various external and internal stimuli

  • Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be associated with various autoimmune diseases

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Figure 1: Map to demonstrate the global prevalence of autoimmune disease.

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Affiliations

  1. H Amital is the head of the Department of Medicine 'D' at the Meir Medical Center, and Y Shoenfeld is head of the Department of Medicine and the Center for Autoimmune Diseases in the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel-Hashomer, N Shoenfeld is an MA student at the Be'er Ya'akov Mental Health Center, Be'er Ya'akov, and at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Kfar-Saba, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.

    Netta Shoenfeld, Howard Amital & Yehuda Shoenfeld

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  1. Netta Shoenfeld
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  2. Howard Amital
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  3. Yehuda Shoenfeld
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Correspondence to Yehuda Shoenfeld.

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Shoenfeld, N., Amital, H. & Shoenfeld, Y. The effect of melanism and vitamin D synthesis on the incidence of autoimmune disease. Nat Rev Rheumatol 5, 99–105 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncprheum0989

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