Vitamin D and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

• Main Authors: Alfredo Garcia Layana, Angelo Maria Minnella, Gerhard Garhöfer, Tariq Aslam, Frank G. Holz, Anita Leys, Rufino Silva, Cécile Delcourt, Eric Souied, Johanna M. Seddon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-10-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: vitamin D; age-related macular degeneration; inflammation; angiogenesis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/10/1120

In recent years, the relationship between vitamin D and health has received growing attention from the scientific and medical communities. Vitamin D deficiencies have been repeatedly associated with various acute and chronic diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Its active metabolite, 1α,25-dihydoxy vitamin D, acts as a modulator of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and cumulative data from experimental and observational studies suggest that relatively a lower vitamin D status could be a potential risk factor for the development of early and/or late AMD. Herein, we made a narrative review of the mechanisms linking a potential role of vitamin D with the current concepts of AMD pathophysiology.