ReviewNature reviews. Endocrinology2014
Vitamin D and male reproduction.
Review in Nature reviews. Endocrinology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 95 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Vitamin D and the Free Hormone Hypothesis: Lessons From Surgical Stress
Correlation Between Follicular Fluid Levels of Bioavailable Vitamin D and Embryo Quality Markers: Euploid Status, Morphokinetics and Mitochondrial DNA Content Among UAE Women Undergoing an IVF Cycle
Effect of a Single-dose Denosumab on Semen Quality in Infertile Men (FITMI): A Randomized Controlled Trial
Novel Approach for Oligospermia (NAPO): A Randomized Controlled Trial
Novel Treatment of Some Men With Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NT-NOA): A Clinical Interventional Study
Who cites it
95 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 229 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Influence of the Mediterranean diet on seminal quality-a systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- Vitamin D Deficiency in Testicular Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Pooled it
- Association between polymorphisms in vitamin D receptor gene and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2018Pooled it
- Effect of a single-dose denosumab on mineral homeostasis in infertile men: insights from a pilot intervention study and a randomized controlled trial.BMC medicine · 2025Trial
- High-dose vitamin DRespiratory research · 2024Trial
- Low serum anti-Müllerian hormone is associated with semen quality in infertile men and not influenced by vitamin D supplementation.BMC medicine · 2023Trial
- Male vitamin D status and male factor infertility.Fertility and sterility · 2021Trial
- The effects of Vitamin D3 supplementation on Spermatogram and endocrine factors in asthenozoospermia infertile men: a randomized, triple blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2021Trial
- Serum Vitamin D Affected Type 2 Diabetes though Altering Lipid Profile and Modified the Effects of Testosterone on Diabetes Status.Nutrients · 2020Trial
- Normal fertilisation rates and serum 25-OHD levels among couples undergoing in-vitro fertilisation: a prospective cohort study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Trial
- Effects of vitamin D supplementation on androgens in men with low testosterone levels: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of nutrition · 2019Trial
- Nutritional modulation of male fertility: a molecular-focused scoping review.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2026Article
- The influence and mechanism of gut microbiota on spermatogenesis.Cell biology and toxicology · 2026Review
- Multigenerational effects of uranium exposure reveal stronger testicular dysregulation in the second generation.Current research in toxicology · 2026Article
- Vitamin D in male reproduction: molecular mechanisms and pharmacological perspectives.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Endocrine-metabolic modulators in sperm biotechnology: cross-species mechanisms and translational priorities.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Review
- Vitamin D in Endocrine Disorders: A Broad Overview of Evidence in Musculoskeletal, Thyroid, Parathyroid, and Reproductive Disorders.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Association Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infertile Women: A Case-Control Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- In Vivo Ultrasonographic Assessment of Bone Mineral Density and Its Impact on Semen Quality in Boars.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
35 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Vitamin D is a versatile signalling molecule with a well-established role in the regulation of calcium homeostasis and bone health. The spectrum of vitamin D target organs has expanded and the reproductive role of vitamin D is highlighted by expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and enzymes that metabolize vitamin D in testis, male reproductive tract and human spermatozoa. The expression levels of VDR and CYP24A1 in human spermatozoa serve as positive predictive markers of semen quality, and VDR mediates a nongenomic increase in intracellular calcium concentration that induces sperm motility. Interestingly, functional animal models show that vitamin D is important for estrogen signalling and sperm motility, while cross-sectional studies support the positive association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and sperm motility in both fertile and infertile men. Expression of VDR and enzymes that metabolize vitamin D in fetal testis indicates a yet unknown role during development, which may be extrapolated from invasive testicular germ cell tumours where 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D induces a mesodermal differentiation of the pluripotent testicular cancer cells. Taken together, vitamin D signalling has a positive effect on semen quality, increases estrogen responsiveness and differentiates germ cell tumours. Future studies are needed to determine when 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D acts in a paracrine manner and whether systemic changes, which are subject to pharmacological modulation, could influence male reproductive function.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.