While it appears that vitamin D supplementation may be good for the liver in some instances, in others it may be contraindicated. The uncertainty makes it especially important for you to seek your physician's advice before making a decision to supplement for liver health. Nonetheless, there is clear evidence that vitamin D deficiency is common in people with chronic liver disease, and there are associations between the severity of deficiency and the severity of liver disease.
Chronic Liver Disease
At least two studies investigated vitamin D levels in patients with chronic liver disease, or CLD. Researchers reporting in the September 2010 issue of "Digestive Diseases and Sciences" tested levels in 118 patients attending the University of Tennessee Hepatology Clinic. They concluded that vitamin D deficiency was universal in the patients. A study published in the April 2007 issue of "Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology" found similar results in an investigation of 100 CLD patients. These researchers went so far as to assert that all patients with liver disease should be tested for vitamin D levels and administered supplements if deficient.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis occurs when the liver is so badly damaged that it forms scars. The scarred tissue is irreparably altered and can result in liver failure if extensive enough. Both of the studies above assessed the severity of cirrhosis as well as the severity of vitamin D deficiency in the CLD patients. The investigators from both publications reported that the more severe the liver damage, the more severe the vitamin D deficiency. While the correlation between the two is clear, it is not clear if vitamin D deficiency causes liver damage or if liver damage causes deficiency.
Supplementation
The November 2010 issue of "Gastroentérologie Clinique et Biologique" investigated the effects of supplementing vitamin D in patients with CLD. They enrolled 158 patients and tested their vitamin D levels. Sixty-four percent were insufficient, while 15 percent were severely deficient. They were administered 1,000 IU vitamin D daily for four months. Vitamin D levels increased 60 percent in patients who were deficient at baseline; however, they decreased 25 percent in patients who were not deficient at baseline. The findings suggest that if you have a sick liver and are not vitamin D deficient, supplementation may be a bad idea.
Lupus
Lupus UK is a charity organization and its website reports that between 30 and 60 percent of lupus patients test abnormally for liver function. Their livers are diseased either as a result of the lupus itself, or from the medications used to treat inflammation in lupus. Researchers reporting in the January 2008 issue of "Lupus" reviewed clinical trials investigating vitamin D supplementation in lupus patients with liver problems, and concluded that it is especially important to supplement these patients due to their inability to synthesize the nutrient. Their impaired livers cannot properly do their job in vitamin D metabolism.
References
- "Digestive Diseases and Sciences"; Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Chronic Liver Disease"; J. Arteh, et al.; September 2010
- "Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology"; Vitamin D and Parathyroid Hormone in Outpatients with Noncholestatic Chronic Liver Disease; Leon Fisher and Alexander Fisher; April 2007
- "Gastroentérologie Clinique et Biologique"; Oral Vitamin D Replacement is Effective in Chronic Liver Disease; Alan Rode, et al.; November 2010
- Lupus UK: Lupus and the Liver
- "Lupus"; Review: Vitamin D, Immunity and Lupus; M. Cutolo and K. Otsa; January 2008
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