Special Issue on Vitamin D and Health

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced endogenously when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylations in the body for activation.

Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and to prevent hypocalcemic tetany. It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis.

Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including modulation of cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and reduction of inflammation. Many genes encoding proteins that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis are modulated in part by vitamin D.

In this special issue, we are going to invite front-line researchers and authors to submit original research and review articles that explore Vitamin D and Health. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Vitamin D Deficiency and Health
• Vitamin D and Bone Health
• Vitamin D and Cancer
• Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease
• Vitamin D and Immune System
• Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis
• Vitamin D and Pregnancy
• Vitamin D and Rickets
• Vitamin D and Osteomalacia
• Vitamin D and Osteoporosis
• Influence of Vitamin D in Skin Pigmentation
• Vitamin D Supplements
• Vitamin D Biosynthesis
• Vitamin D and Metabolic Activation
• Mechanism of Vitamin D Action
• Interactive Pathway Map of Vitamin D
• Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D
• Dietary Sources of Vitamin D
• Vitamin D Excess

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at Author's Guidelines. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at Paper Submission System.

Please kindly notice that the“Special Issue’’ under your manuscript title is supposed to be specified and the research field “Special Issue- Vitamin D and Health” should be chosen during your submission.

According to the following timetable:

Guest Editor:

Prof. Ronald D. Hays, University of California at Los Angeles, USA

For further questions or inquiries

Please contact Editorial Assistant at

health@scirp.org