High Sun Exposure is Associated With a Decreased Risk of Incident Crohn's Disease in the E3N Cohort Study

Vitamin D and IBD: More Pieces to the Puzzle, Still No Complete Picture

“…Genetic polymorphisms identified as risk alleles for vitamin D deficiency12 have not been examined in association with risk of CD and UC in a targeted way. Variants in UV light exposure have been associated with risk of CD and UC 1. Higher dietary vitamin D intake has been linked to a reduced incidence of UC but not CD 13.…”

“…Several lines of evidence support a role for vitamin D status in influencing risk of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD; Crohn's disease [CD], ulcerative colitis [UC]). The north–south gradient in IBD incidence and the higher incidence in countries at higher latitudes parallel UV exposure, and indeed recent studies have demonstrated that UV exposure mapped to the region of residence can influence disease risk 1. Other studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, two diseases that share pathogenic mechanisms with IBD 2, 3.…”