Endocrine Abstracts

Vitamin D is a recognised important factor in bone health but in recent years is receiving much attention for its role in multiple other systems. The enthusiasm with which it is embraced as an elixir vitae especially in cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases is overwhelming and matched only by the skepticism from other quarters, since solid evidence is largely lacking. I will review the pleiotropic effects of vitamin D and how they may be of relevance to...

Accumulating evidence from animal and human studies suggests that vitamin D is involved in many functions of the reproductive system in both genders. In women, vitamin D status has been associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome, features of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and sex hormone steroidogenesis. In detail, cross-sectional data suggest a regulatory role of vitamin D in PCOS-related aspects such as ovulatory dysfunction, insulin re...

The vitamin D endocrine system (D-endo) is essential for calcium and bone homeostasis. The vitamin D receptor, VDR, is ubiquitously expressed and about 3% of the mouse or human genome is regulated by D-endo. VDR knock-out mice show impaired striated muscle maturation and selective VDR deficiency in heart muscle cause cardiomyopathy. Muscle weakness may be severe in patients with severe chronic renal failure combined with vitamin D deficiency or in subjects with congenital CYP2...