Metabolic diseases have been shown to be associated with low vitamin D status; however, the findings have been inconsistent. Hence, the objective of our study was to investigate the relationship between vitamin D status and metabolic disease-related traits in healthy Southeast Asian women and examine whether this relationship was modified by dietary factors using a nutrigenetic study. The study included 110 Minangkabau women (age: 25–60 years) from Padang, Indonesia. Genetic risk scores (GRS) were constructed based on five vitamin D-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (vitamin D-GRS) and ten metabolic disease-associated SNPs (metabolic-GRS). The metabolic-GRS was significantly associated with lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations (p = 0.009) and higher body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.016). Even though the vitamin D-GRS had no effect on metabolic traits (p > 0.12), an interaction was observed between the vitamin D-GRS and carbohydrate intake (g) on body fat percentage (BFP) (pinteraction = 0.049), where those individuals who consumed a high carbohydrate diet (mean ± SD: 319 g/d ± 46) and carried >2 vitamin D-lowering risk alleles had significantly higher BFP (p = 0.016). In summary, we have replicated the association of metabolic-GRS with higher BMI and lower 25(OH)D concentrations and identified a novel interaction between vitamin D-GRS and carbohydrate intake on body fat composition.

Studies in Asian Indians have examined the association of metabolic traits with vitamin D status. However, findings have been quite inconsistent. Hence, we aimed to explore the relationship between metabolic traits and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations. We investigate whether this relationship was modified by lifestyle factors using a nutrigenetic approach in 545 Asian Indians randomly selected from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (219 normal glucose tolerant individuals, 151 with pre-diabetes and 175 individuals with type 2 diabetes). A metabolic genetic risk score (GRS) was developed using five common metabolic disease-related genetic variants. There was a significant interaction between metabolic GRS and carbohydrate intake (energy%) on 25(OH)D (Pinteraction = 0.047). Individuals consuming a low carbohydrate diet (≤62%) and those having lesser number of metabolic risk alleles (GRS ≤ 1) had significantly higher levels of 25(OH)D (p = 0.033). Conversely, individuals consuming a high carbohydrate diet despite having lesser number of risk alleles did not show a significant increase in 25(OH)D (p = 0.662). In summary, our findings show that individuals carrying a smaller number of metabolic risk alleles are likely to have higher 25(OH)D levels if they consume a low carbohydrate diet. These data support the current dietary carbohydrate recommendations of 50%–60% energy suggesting that reduced metabolic genetic risk increases 25(OH)D.

Purpose Adverse effects of maternal vitamin D deficiency have been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. We investigated the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and newborn anthropometry measurements using a genetic approach and examined the interaction between genetic variations in involved in vitamin D synthesis and metabolism and maternal vitamin D concentrations on newborn anthropometry. Methods The study was conducted in 183 pregnant Indonesian Minangkabau women. Genetic risk scores (GRSs) were created using six vitamin D–related single nucleotide polymorphisms and their association with 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and newborn anthropometry (183 infants) were investigated. Results There was no significant association between maternal 25(OH)D concentrations and newborn anthropometry measurements (P > 0.05, for all comparisons). After correction for multiple testing using Bonferroni correction, GRS was significantly associated with 25(OH)D in the third trimester (P = 0.004). There was no association between GRS and newborn anthropometric measurements; however, there was an interaction between GRS and 25(OH)D on head circumference (P = 0.030), where mothers of neonates with head circumference < 35 cm had significantly lower 25(OH)D if they carried ≥4 risk alleles compared to those who carried ≤3 risk alleles. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate the impact of vitamin D-related GRS on 25(OH)D and provides evidence for the effect of vitamin D-related GRS on newborn anthropometry through the influence of serum 25(OH)D levels among Indonesian pregnant women. Even though our study is a prospective cohort, before the implementation of vitamin D supplementation programs in Indonesia to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes, further large studies are required to confirm our findings.

Purpose Given that the relationship between vitamin D status and metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains unclear, this review will focus on the genetic associations, which are less prone to confounding, between vitamin D-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and metabolic diseases. Methods A literature search of relevant articles was performed on PubMed up to December 2019. Those articles that had examined the association of vitamin D-related SNPs with obesity and/or T2D were included. Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility for the inclusion criteria and extracted the data. In total, 73 articles were included in this review. Results There is a lack of research focusing on the association of vitamin D synthesis-related genes with obesity and T2D; however, the limited available research, although inconsistent, is suggestive of a protective effect on T2D risk. While there are several studies that investigated the vitamin D metabolism-related SNPs, the research focusing on vitamin D activation, catabolism and transport genes is limited. Studies on CYP27B1, CYP24A1 and GC genes demonstrated a lack of association with obesity and T2D in Europeans; however, significant associations with T2D were found in South Asians. VDR gene SNPs have been extensively researched; in particular, the focus has been mainly on BsmI (rs1544410), TaqI (rs731236), ApaI (rs7975232) and FokI (rs2228570) SNPs. Even though the association between VDR SNPs and metabolic diseases remain inconsistent, some positive associations showing potential effects on obesity and T2D in specific ethnic groups were identified. Conclusions Overall, this literature review suggests that ethnic-specific genetic associations are involved. Further research utilizing large studies is necessary to better understand these ethnic-specific genetic associations between vitamin D deficiency and metabolic diseases.

Given the relationship between vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and adverse outcomes of metabolic diseases, we investigated the interplay of dietary and genetic components on vitamin D levels and metabolic traits in young adults from Brazil. Genetic analysis, dietary intake, and anthropometric and biochemical measurements were performed in 187 healthy young adults (19–24 years). Genetic risk scores (GRS) from six genetic variants associated with vitamin D (vitamin D-GRS) and 10 genetic variants associated with metabolic disease (metabolic-GRS) were constructed. High vitamin D-GRS showed a significant association with low 25(OH)D concentrations (p = 0.001) and high metabolic-GRS showed a significant association with high fasting insulin concentrations (p = 0.045). A significant interaction was found between vitamin D-GRS and total protein intake (g/day) (adjusted for non-animal protein) on 25(OH)D (pinteraction = 0.006), where individuals consuming a high protein diet (≥73 g/d) and carrying >4 risk alleles for VDD had significantly lower 25(OH)D (p = 0.002) compared to individuals carrying ≤4 risk alleles. Even though our study did not support a link between metabolic-GRS and vitamin D status, our study has demonstrated a novel interaction, where participants with high vitamin D-GRS and consuming ≥73 g of protein/day had significantly lower 25(OH)D levels. Further research is necessary to evaluate the role of animal protein consumption on VDD in Brazilians.

Previous studies have pointed out a link between vitamin D status and metabolic traits, however, consistent evidence has not been provided yet. This cross-sectional study has used a nutrigenetic approach to investigate the interaction between metabolic-genetic risk score (GRS) and dietary intake on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in 396 unrelated Turkish adults, aged 24–50 years. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was significantly lower in those with a metabolic-GRS ≥ 1 risk allele than those with a metabolic-GRS < 1 risk allele (p = 0.020). A significant interaction between metabolic-GRS and dietary fat intake (energy%) on serum 25(OH)D levels was identified (Pinteraction = 0.040). Participants carrying a metabolic-GRS ≥ 1 risk allele and consuming a high fat diet (≥38% of energy = 122.3 ± 52.51 g/day) had significantly lower serum 25(OH)D concentration (p = 0.006) in comparison to those consuming a low-fat diet (<38% of energy = 82.5 ± 37.36 g/d). In conclusion, our study suggests a novel interaction between metabolic-GRS and dietary fat intake on serum 25(OH)D level, which emphasises that following the current dietary fat intake recommendation (<35% total fat) could be important in reducing the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this Turkish population. Nevertheless, further larger studies are needed to verify this interaction, before implementing personalized dietary recommendations for the maintenance of optimal vitamin D status.

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The Ghanaian population is experiencing an upsurge in obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) due to rapid urbanization. Besides dietary factors, vitamin D-related genetic determinants have also been shown to contribute to the development of obesity and T2D. Hence, we aimed to examine the interactions between dietary factors and vitamin D-related genetic variants on obesity and T2D related outcomes in a Ghanaian population. Three hundred and two healthy Ghanaian adults (25–60 years old) from Oforikrom, Municipality in Kumasi, Ghana were randomly recruited and had genetic tests, dietary consumption analysis, and anthropometric and biochemical measurements of glucose, HbA1c, insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides taken. A significant interaction was identified between vitamin D-GRS and fiber intake (g/day) on BMI (pinteraction = 0.020) where those who were consuming low fiber (≤16.19 g/d) and carrying more than two risk alleles for vitamin D deficiency (p = 0.01) had a significantly higher BMI. In addition, an interaction between vitamin D-GRS and fat intake (g/day) on HbA1c (total fat, pinteraction = 0.029) was found, where participants who had a lower total fat intake (≤36.5 g/d), despite carrying more than two risk alleles, had significantly lower HbA1c (p = 0.049). In summary, our study has identified novel gene–diet interactions of vitamin D-GRS with dietary fiber and fat intakes on metabolic traits in Ghanaian adults.