A Rutgers study has discovered that vitamin D regulates calcium in a section of the intestine that previously was thought not to have played a key role. The findings have important implications on how bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, may disrupt calcium regulation.
In a healthy person, the body absorbs calcium to maintain strong bones and perform other important functions like helping muscles move and nerves carry messages between the brain and body parts. Vitamin D is critical for this calcium absorption from the intestine and for the function of the intestine.
The study, published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology, highlights the importance of the distal segments of the intestine — including the colon — in vitamin D regulation of calcium and bone calcification. Previously, this regulation was thought to only occur in the proximal…
