VDR and metabolic syndrome: Bozic et al. [92] reported that VDR knockout mice were protected from liver steatosis, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance and exhibited decreased synthesis of taurine-conjugated bile acids, whereas the exposure of mice to a high-fat diet (HFD) resulted in the early induction of hepatic VDR expression in the presence of a fatty liver, followed by a long-term decrease in VDR levels in the presence of more severe inflammation and fibrosis.