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We know that it is important to sunbathe, but scientists now think that this could play a vital role in maintaining our immune system.
Vitamin D can "dramatically" affect our body and make people less susceptible to diseases such as multiple sclerosis, they say.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh claim that their study has shed light on how vitamin D deficiency can affect the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The body produces vitamin D in response to sunlight and scientists have studied its impact on a mechanism of the immune system – the ability of dendritic cells to activate T cells.
In healthy people, T cells play a crucial role in the fight against infection, but in people with autoimmune diseases, they can begin to attack the body's own tissues.
By studying the cells of mice and humans, the researchers found that vitamin D caused dendritic cells to produce more of a molecule called CD31 on their surface, which impeded the activation of T cells.
It was observed that CD31 prevented both cell types from establishing stable contact – an essential part of the activation process – and the resulting immune response was greatly reduced.
Professor Richard Mellanby of the University of Edinburgh's Center for Inflammatory Research said: "Low vitamin D status has long been considered a major risk factor for the development of many autoimmune diseases. Our study revealed a way in which vitamin D metabolites can significantly affect the immune system. "
The study, published in Frontiers of Immunology, was funded by the Council for Medical Research, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council and Wellcome.
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