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 the specific syndrome represented by chronic heart failure and the evidence generated to date by, amongst others, the VINDICATE program at Leeds.