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Fat Soluble Vitamins in the Ocular, Cardiac, and Infectious Diseases: Myths and Misconceptions

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Lipophilic Vitamins in Health and Disease

Part of the book series: Advances in Biochemistry in Health and Disease ((ABHD,volume 28))

  • 25 Accesses

Abstract

Fat-soluble vitamins have a pivotal role in in maintaining good vision and overall eye health. Profound importance of vitamin A in lowering risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) has been illustrated. Also, plausible role of fat-soluble vitamins in risk attenuation in cardiac diseases has been studied. This chapter also discusses the role of Vitamin D in the immune system and its potential impact on infectious diseases. It highlights that Vitamin D has a significant influence on both innate and adaptive immunity, affecting various immune cells. Vitamin D fosters immune tolerance by promoting regulatory T cells (Tregs) and suppresses inflammation by altering the type of T cells produced. It also enhances the function of immune cells like macrophages and dendritic cells. Moreover, Vitamin D is linked to infectious diseases, and there’s evidence suggesting it may play a role in combating conditions such as tuberculosis, respiratory infections, and influenza. However, randomized controlled trials have produced inconsistent results regarding the prophylactic use of Vitamin D for infectious diseases. The importance of avoiding Vitamin D toxicity has been discussed. Further research is needed to fully understand its role in infectious diseases. Finally, the chapter emphasizes the importance of informed decision-making when it comes to vitamin supplementation and dispelling common myths and misconceptions.

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Abbreviations

ARTI:

Acute respiratory tract infections

ARMD:

Age-related macular degeneration

CAP:

Community-acquired pneumonia

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

DEC:

Dry eye syndrome

25 (OH) D:

25-Hydroxyvitamin D

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TB:

Tuberculosis

TED:

Thyroid eye disease

VDD:

Vitamin D deficiency

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran

    Zahra Sepehri

  2. Department of Family Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

    Zahra Sepehri & Zahra Sepehri

  3. Zahedan Health Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran

    Aliyeh Sargazi

  4. Research Center of Tropical and Infection Diseases, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran

    Maysam Yousefi

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

    Maysam Yousefi

  6. Department of Pathology, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran

    Farkhonde Sarhaddi

  7. Department of Computer, Sanabad Golbahar Institute of Higher Education, Golbahar, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

    Mehdi Sepehri

  8. Health Services Management Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

    Anahita Behzadi

  9. Department of Health Management, Policy and Economics, Faculty of Management and Medical Information Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

    Sina Etemadi & Marjan Hedayatipour

  10. Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran

    Yeganeh Azhdari Moghaddam

  11. Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Canada

    Nima Javadi Aghdam

  12. Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeries Fellowship, Ophthalmic Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran

    Kourosh Shahraki

  13. Department of Internal Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Zohre Kiani

  14. Department of Cardiology, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Nasrin Etesami Fard & Zohre Mohammadi

  15. School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

    Roxana Kaveh

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  1. Zahra Sepehri
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zahra Sepehri .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Asper Clinical Research Institute, St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Paramjit S. Tappia

  2. California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Anureet K. Shah

  3. Institute of Cardiovascular Science, St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Naranjan S. Dhalla

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Sepehri, Z. et al. (2024). Fat Soluble Vitamins in the Ocular, Cardiac, and Infectious Diseases: Myths and Misconceptions. In: Tappia, P.S., Shah, A.K., Dhalla, N.S. (eds) Lipophilic Vitamins in Health and Disease. Advances in Biochemistry in Health and Disease, vol 28. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55489-6_2

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