Extraskeletal activity of vitamin D and a potential association with diabetes mellitus

For decades, vitamin D has been characterised with its important role in regulating the serum levels of calcium and phosphorus, as well as in maintenance of bone and mineral metabolism. In addition to its classical action, an increasing amount of available data suggests a possible involvement of vitamin D activity in many other pathophysiological fields, such as inflection of immune response and inflammation, cell proliferation or gene expression . Many experimental and clinical data indicate the impact of vitamin D on different steps in onset and development of diabetes, representing this way its potential beneficial influence on morbidity, glycemic control and the incidence of chronic complications .