The Biological Activities of Vitamin D and Its Receptor in Relation to Calcium and Bone Homeostasis, Cancer, Immune and Cardiovascular Systems, Skin Biology, and Oral Health.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of mechanisms and clinical literature without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 29951549 · doi:10.1155/2018/9276380
What was done
Narrative review summarizing the biological actions of 1,25(OH)2D and the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR), including VDR/RXR heterodimerization, gene regulation via vitamin D response elements, non-genomic signaling, and functions across calcium/bone homeostasis, cancer, immune, cardiovascular, skin, and oral health systems.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data or effect sizes. It describes the molecular mechanism of VDR/RXR-mediated transcription and non-genomic signaling, concluding there is not enough evidence to support vitamin D supplementation for the prevention or treatment of infectious, immunoinflammatory, or hyperproliferative disorders.
Why it matters
It clarifies the broad physiological reach of vitamin D signaling while highlighting the gap between mechanistic plausibility and proven clinical efficacy for non-skeletal indications.
Limits
This is a narrative review without a systematic search strategy, defined study selection criteria, or quality assessment. The abstract provides no sample sizes, primary trial data, or quantified outcomes.
Cited by
- supports The vitamin D receptor heterodimerizes with the retinoid X receptor before binding to DNA.