New developments in our understanding of vitamin D metabolism, action and treatment

Although vitamin D has been reported to have pleiotropic effects including effects on the immune system and on cancer progression, the principal action of vitamin D is the maintenance of calcium and phosphate homeostasis. The importance of vitamin D in this process is emphasized by the consequences of vitamin D deficiency which includes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Vitamin D deficiency has also been reported to increase the...