By Jimmy Downs

Sunday Nov 18, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Vitamin D, which is known to protect against inflammatory diseases, may also help fight periodintotis in people with diabetes mellitus, according to a new study in Steroids.

H. Li of West China Hospital of Stomatology Sichuan University in Chengdu, China and colleagues conducted the study and found vitamin D supplement ameliorated experimental periodontitis in diabetic mice.

Periodontitis is a complication of diabetes mellitus. The two diseases have something to do with the dysfunction of certain inflammatory mediators.   Vitamin D is known to have an effect on diabetes mellitus, but little is known on how the vitamin affects periodontitis.

In the study, streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice after intraperitoneally receiving vitamin D or 25(OH)D3 reduced fasting glucose and serum TNF-α levels and alveolar bone loss.

TNF-α refers to tumor necrosis factor-alpha which is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and is a member of a group of cytokines that trigger the acute phase reaction.

Also vitamin d treatment upregulated vitamin D receptor and protein tyrosine phosphatase N2 and attenuated expression of NF-κB and phosphorylation of Janus family kinase 1.  These observations indicated the anti-inflammatory activity of vitamin D.

The researchers concluded "These data may provide an explanation for the therapeutic benefits and anti-inflammatory effects of 25(OH)D(3). Our findings should have important implications for clinical therapy of diabetic periodontitis."