High-dose vitamin D supplementation and liver histology in NASH.

Dear Editor,We read with great interest the recent study by Beilfuss et al ,1 which found vitamin D supplementation to ameliorate transforming growth factor-β-induced fibrogenesis in human hepatic stellate cells.Vitamin D is an important secosteroid hormone with pleiotropic effects that extend well beyond its established regulatory role in calcium and bone homeostasis. These include its recently described involvement in the regulation of immunomodulation, cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties.2 Subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have a lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level,3 which is …