As Canadians brace for 鈥渧itamin D winter鈥 鈥 months when the sun鈥檚 angle is too low to produce the vitamin in the skin 鈥 a 不良研究所 study explains why vitamin D deficiency early in life is associated with a higher risk of autoimmune diseases.
During childhood, the thymus helps train immune cells to distinguish between the body鈥檚 own tissues and harmful invaders. A vitamin D deficiency at that stage of life causes the thymus to age more quickly, the researchers discovered.