Michael F. Holick MD, PhD
Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management
Professor, Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics
85 E. Newton St | (617) 638-4546mfholick@bu.edu
Sections
Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management
Centers
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
Biography
Dr. Holick has made numerous contributions to the field of the biochemistry, physiology, metabolism, and photobiology of vitamin D for human nutrition. Dr. Holick has established global recommendations advising sunlight exposure as an integral source of vitamin D. He has helped increase awareness in the pediatric and medical communities regarding vitamin D deficiency pandemic, and its role in causing not only metabolic bone disease, and osteoporosis in adults, but increasing risk of children and adults developing preeclampsia, common deadly cancers, schizophrenia, infectious diseases including TB and influenza, autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
Dr. Holick is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, and a member of the American Association of Physicians. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the General Clinical Research Centers Program Award for Excellence in Clinical Research from NIH, American College of Nutrition’s Communication Media Award, Best Docs in America, the Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Award from the Institute for Functional Medicine and the Linus Pauling Prize for Human Nutrition. Dr. Holick serves on a number of national committees and editorial boards and has organized and/or co-chaired several international symposia. He served as the chair for the Endocrine Society’s Practice Guidelines on Vitamin D. He has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, and written more than 200 review articles, as well as numerous book chapters. He has acted as editor and/or co-editor on 13 books, and has written The UV Advantage in 2004 and The Vitamin D Solution in 2010 and helped develop the dminder.info app.
Other Positions
Education
MD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
MS, University of Wisconsin-Madison
BS, Seton Hall University
Publications
Nikooyeh B, Holick MF, Abdollahi Z, Rasekhi H, Amini M, Ghodsi D, Yari Z, Rabiei S, Kalayi A, Zahedirad M, Yazdani H, Rismanchi M, Neyestani TR. Effectiveness and Potential Toxicity of Bread Fortification With Vitamin D in General Population: A Predictive Modeling Study. J Nutr. 2025 Feb 22. PMID: 39993476.
Published on 2/19/2025Shirvani P, Shirvani A, Holick MF. Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Its Potential Molecular Interplay in Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A Scoping Review Bridging Cellular Energetics and Genetic Pathways. Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2025 Feb 19; 47(2). PMID: 39996855.
Published on 2/14/2025Shirvani A, Shirvani P, Jonah U, Moore BE, Holick MF. Suspected Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Complex Pathophysiology in Fatal Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Insights from a Case Report and Post-Mortem Findings. Biomedicines. 2025 Feb 14; 13(2). PMID: 40002882.
Published on 2/10/2025Holick MF. The Debatable Clinical Utility of the 2024 Vitamin D Guideline: Bridging the Gap Between Current Guidelines, Practical Clinical Recommendations, and Utilization of Emerging Evidence in Vitamin D Disease Prevention. Endocr Pract. 2025 Mar; 31(3):399-402. PMID: 39938796.
Published on 1/22/2025Uçar N, Holick MF. Illuminating the Connection: Cutaneous Vitamin D3 Synthesis and Its Role in Skin Cancer Prevention. Nutrients. 2025 Jan 22; 17(3). PMID: 39940244.
Published on 1/1/2025Uçar N, Deeney JT, Pickering RT, Fan TY, Loo R, Mueller PM, Holick MF. Interaction of Vitamin D-BODIPY With Fat Cells and the Link to Obesity-associated Vitamin D Deficiency. Anticancer Res. 2025 Jan; 45(1):55-63. PMID: 39740852.
Published on 10/30/2024Holick MF. Revisiting Vitamin D Guidelines: A Critical Appraisal of the Literature. Endocr Pract. 2024 Dec; 30(12):1227-1241. PMID: 39486479.
Published on 10/17/2024Shirvani P, Shirvani A, Holick MF. Decoding the Genetic Basis of Mast Cell Hypersensitivity and Infection Risk in Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2024 Oct 17; 46(10):11613-11629. PMID: 39451569.
Published on 9/27/2024Brust LA, Linxweiler M, Schnatmann J, Kühn JP, Knebel M, Braun FL, Wemmert S, Menger MD, Schick B, Holick MF, Kuo F, Morris LGT, Körner S. Effects of Vitamin D on tumor cell proliferation and migration, tumor initiation and anti-tumor immune response in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Biomed Pharmacother. 2024 Nov; 180:117497. PMID: 39341078.
Published on 8/3/2024Pludowski P, Marcinowska-Suchowierska E, Togizbayev G, Belaya Z, Grant WB, Pilz S, Holick MF. Daily and Weekly "High Doses" of Cholecalciferol for the Prevention and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency for Obese or Multi-Morbidity and Multi-Treatment Patients Requiring Multi-Drugs-A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2024 Aug 03; 16(15). PMID: 39125420.
Media Mentions
Published on 4/19/2025
Health Quiz: Which Habit Can Lead To Weaker Bones Over Time?
Published on 10/28/2024
7 winning dietary supplements for sleep, bone health and more
Published on 8/1/2024
7 Supplements That Might Actually Help You
Published on 6/27/2024
Vitamin D2 vs. D3: What’s the Difference?
Published on 6/14/2024
Vitamin May Extend Lifespan, New Research Suggests
Published on 6/11/2024
Published on 12/22/2023
How Much Vitamin D Do You Need to Stay Healthy?
Published on 11/5/2023
Vitamin D: A Potential Ally in Cancer Prevention, Boston University Study Reveals
Published on 10/31/2023
Dancing with Mortality: The Unseen Consequences of Vitamin D Deficiency
Published on 10/30/2023
“Game Changer for Vitamin D” – Supplementation Found To Improve Cancer Survival
View full list of 42 media mentions.