Acute Effects of Single Doses of Bonito Fish Peptides and Vitamin D on Whole Blood Gene Expression Levels: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Fish contains high quality proteins and essential nutrients including 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Fish peptide consumption can lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and studies have shown an association between 25(OH)D deficiency, CVD and CVD risk factors, such as diabetes. This study investigated acute effects of a single dose of cholecalciferol (VitD3), bonito fish peptide hydrolysate (BPH), or a combination of both on CVD risk factors and whole blood gene expression levels. A randomized, crossover, placebo controlled trial was conducted in 22 adults. They ingested, in random order and at 7-day intervals, 1000 IU of VitD3, 3 g of BPH, a combination of both, or a placebo. A 180 min oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Differences in whole-genome expression levels after versus before each supplementation were computed for 18 subjects. We observed that 16, 1 and 5 transcripts were differentially expressed post- vs. pre-ingestion for VitD3, BPH or VitD3 + BPH treatments, respectively. VitD3-containing treatments affected the expression of the solute carrier family 25 member 20 (SLC25A20) gene involved in fatty acid oxidation, various transcription factors and genes related to glucose metabolism. These results suggest that VitD3 rapidly modulates genes related to CVD risk factors in blood while BPH seems to moderately modulate gene expression levels.

Sex differences in vitamin D metabolism, serum levels and action

“…There is a growing number of indications that sex is an additional, crucial non-environmental factor regulating the level and effect of vitamin D (5,8,25,27,(35)(36)(37)(38) . To date, a number of studies have been carried out in which vitamin D levels have differed between women and men, most of them defining the female sex as being more vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency (5,7,33) .…”

“…A clinical study in rats also established that the occurrence of heart disease is associated with low levels of vitamin D, which suggests the usefulness of vitamin D supplementation in treating heart failure (82) . Moreover, a recent study showed that even short-term use of vitamin D affects the expression of genes associated with CVD (37) .…”

Nutrition Genomics

“…The effect of a single nutrient, in this case one dose of cholecalciferol (1000 IU), on whole blood gene expression levels was explored in 22 adults. The results showed that this vitamin modulated the expression of the solute carrier family 25 member 20, the gene involved in fatty acid oxidation, various transcription factors, and the genes related to glucose metabolism [ 3 ].…”