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# Vitamin D fights hepatitis B
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_d_hepatitis_b_0728150904/
- Published: 2015-07-28T09:55:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:10:42.000Z
- Description: Among 426 people with chronic hepatitis B followed about 13 years, those deficient in vitamin D at baseline were 90 percent more likely to develop clinical events such as liver cancer, cirrhosis complications or death. Event rates were 25.5 percent with deficiency versus 11.1 percent without.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Tuesday July 28, 2015 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking vitamin D supplements may help fight chronic hepatitis B, according to a study recently published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

The study shows patients with chronic hepatitis B with normal levels of circulating vitamin D were less likely to develop clinical events including hepatocellular carcinoma, complications of cirrhosis, or death, compared with those with vitamin D deficiency.

[Vitamin D is a known immunomodulator](https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin%5Fd%5Fdeficiency%5Fis%5Fwhy%5Fyou%5Fget%5Fflu%5F0703100554/) and it may help fight all sorts of viral infections. An early study published in Nature reveals that vitamin D is important for innate immunity and involved in the production of antibacterial peptides.

Enrolled in the study were 426 patients with chronic hepatitis B infection at a mean age of 41 years. Serum levels of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) for each patient were measured at baseline. Patients were followed for 159 months on average.

The study finds patients who experienced clinical events had lower levels of serum vitamin D than those who did not experience clinical events. Specifically, hepatitis B patients with vitamin D deficiency at baseline were 90% more likely than those without vitamin D deficiency to develop clinical events. During a 15-year follow-up, the rate of clinical events among those with vitamin D deficiency was 25.5%, compared with 11.1% among those with normal levels of serum vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to more than 100 health conditions including cancer, diabetes mellitus, depression, and obesity, according to [Vitamin D Council](http://vitamindcouncil.org/?ref=foodconsumer.org). Those who do not take vitamin D supplements want to make sure they have sufficient exposure to the sun. UV rays trigger the biosynthesis of vitamin D. (David Liu)

[Grace Lai-Hung Wong, Henry Lik-Yuen Chan, Hoi-Yun Chan, Chi-Hang Tse, Angel Mei-Ling Chim, Angeline Oi-Shan Lo, Vincent Wai-Sun Wong, Adverse Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency on Outcomes of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Volume 13, Issue 4, April 2015, Pages 783–790.e1](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542356514015717?ref=foodconsumer.org)