Vitamin D and GUT Microbiota: A Review

Vitamin D plays an important role in the body. Beyond its role in bone metabolism, this vitamin is involved in regulating immune and hormonal responses, antioxidant activity, cell proliferation and differentiation, and the prevention of various diseases. Vitamin D deficiency was shown to decrease the risk of inflammatory diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Vitamin D can affect the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota, which can be associated to a wide range of physiological processes, and disruption of gut microbiota was shown to be related to inflammation, metabolic disorders, excessive fat accumulation, and loss of insulin sensitivity. Some of the anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin D may be related to the changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota. This study aimed to review the relationship between vitamin D and gut microbiota.