Researchers in Japan have identified the target for vitamin D, giving a new insight into how the vitamin helps reduce bone loss and osteoporosis.Vitamin D’'s importance as a nutrient for the prevention of osteoporosis is well established, especially for the elderly population where a high incidence of vitamin D deficiency is well-documented. However the specific targets of the vitamin in bone have remained largely unknown.The study, published in the February issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation (Vol. 116, Issue 2), used mice to show that orally administered vitamin D inhibited the production of a protein called c-Fos.The c-Fos protein was shown to be a key actor in the development of osteoclasts, multinucleated cells that degrade and reabsorb bone. Vitamin D was then shown to inhibit the c-Fos facilitation of osteoclast formation.
