The role of Vitamin D in gut health and disease in children

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Background

Vitamin D is increasingly recognized to have numerous beneficial effects in addition to bone health, especially in regards to immune function. Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency is increasingly prevalent around the world, with an estimated 35%-55% of children and adults at risk of vitamin D deficiency worldwide. Deficiency may impact upon aspects of gut development, especially in regards maturation of immune functions. Deficiency is also associated with a wide range of diseases and various cancers, including breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Vitamin D deficiency has particular relevance to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) along with other conditions. Epidemiological studies suggest that low serum vitamin D is a risk factor for IBD and colon cancer. Furthermore, vitamin D supplementation is associated with decreased disease activity and/or alleviated symptoms. The role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of IBD is complex and not well defined, but it appears to play an important role in the development of gastrointestinal inflammation.

The overall objective of this Research Topic is to enable a focus upon key aspects of vitamin D and the gut, in health and disease. Specific aims are to illustrate and highlight (a) the beneficial effects of vitamin D upon gut health in children, including immune responses, and (b) the effects of vitamin D in GI disease, including but not restricted to inflammatory bowel disease.

This Research Topic will encompass the disciplines of Public Health, Children and Health and Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. We invite authors to submit Original Research and/or Review Articles that seek to define aspects of the benefits of Vitamin D in regard to GI health and development or GI disease. Potential topics include, but not limited to:
• Public health aspects of vitamin D status
• Beneficial effects of Vitamin D related to GI health, including gut development and immune responses
• Characterisation of vitamin D status in GI disease
• Novel mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of Vitamin D
• Biomarkers or clinical indicators that could improve prevention, identification and management of Vitamin D deficiency in regard to GI health and disease

Keywords: Gut, Health, Disease, Children, Free 25-hydroxyvitamin-D, Total 25-hydroxyvitamin-D, Vitamin D–binding protein, Vitamin D receptors, Public Health, Nutrition, Immunology, Immune responses, Paediatric gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Gastrointestinal Diseases

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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