A large-scale study uncovered more than 300 genetic variants linked to vitamin D status and highlighted three main themes: links to circadian rhythm, BMI relations via steroid and lipid metabolism, and the involvement of enzymes in the excretion and metabolism of vitamin D and related compounds.

Experts stress that interpreting genetic influences on health requires quantifying environmental factors like sunlight exposure, underscoring the value of linking genetic and environmental data.

Findings could pave the way for personalized vitamin D supplementation by combining genomic data with detailed environmental exposure information, including local sunshine availability.

The study also demonstrates how precise environmental measurements paired with genomic data can reveal gene-environment interactions and potentially guide future personalized vitamin D strategies.

The full paper appears in Nature Communications under the title Genome-wide gene-environment interaction study uncovers 162 vitamin D status variants using a precise ambient UVB measure.

Using data from over 330,000 UK Biobank participants, the researchers paired daily ambient UVB measurements at each person’s home for five months with vitamin D readings, enabling a more precise gene-environment analysis than earlier work.

Led by Trinity College researchers, the collaboration identified more than 30 distinct genes that influence vitamin D status by integrating large genetic datasets with precise environmental sunshine measurements.

Leading researchers emphasize gene-environment interactions as essential for understanding health and disease, noting the study demonstrates the feasibility of scale-enabled integration of genetic data with environmental datasets.

Some identified genes code for enzymes that excrete or recycle vitamin D metabolites, suggesting that other metabolites beyond 25-hydroxyvitamin D could contribute to active vitamin D status and affect how deficiency is measured.

These enzymes involved in excretion and recycling imply that alternative metabolites might be converted to the active form, potentially influencing how vitamin D deficiency is assessed.