The study design is a quantitative, randomised control trial measuring vitamin D concentrations in blood serum. All participants will be given the recommended 10µg daily dose of vitamin D supplementation. Participants will be grouped based on their genotype for each gene, as either low, medium or high-risk genotypes. The low-risk group will act as a control and the medium and high-risk groups will act as the intervention groups.~Participants will attend St Mary's University's applied science laboratory twice. During their first visit participants will provide a 2ml capillary blood sample. Blood samples are collected using lancets to prick participants' ear lobes. The serum is extracted from the blood samples, serum is stored at -80c until analysis. Participants will be given 90 10µg vitamin D supplements and instructed to take one per day for 90 days. Participants will also be instructed to not make any major changes to their habitual diet. During the second visit participants will provide 1 ml of saliva sample into the Collection Pot and a second 2ml sample of blood. Serum samples will be analysed for vitamin D concentrations using 25(OH) Vitamin D ELISA kit. DNA will be extracted from the saliva samples using PSP SalivaGene DNA Kit following the manufacturer's protocol. DNA will be genotyped for variations in the VDR, GC and CYP2R1 genes. Data will be assessed to determine if variations in these genes influenced the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation.
Vitamin D is essential for skeletal growth and bone health, deficiency causes rickets and osteomalacia. In the UK 29% of adults have vitamin D deficiency. It is recommended all adults take 10µg vitamin D supplement daily. Genetic variations could alter vitamin D status by affecting vitamin D metabolism. Systematic reviews found variations in VDR, GC and CYP2R1 genes are associated with vitamin D deficiency. This study aims to assess the effects between vitamin D supplementation and variations in VDR, GC and CYP2R1 genes on vitamin D status.