A Combination of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Is Associated with Interindividual Variability in Cholecalciferol Bioavailability in Healthy Men.

BACKGROUND: Most people require dietary vitamin D to achieve the recommended concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in the blood. However, the response to vitamin D supplementation is highly variable among individuals.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether the variability in cholecalciferol bioavailability was associated with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes.

METHODS: In a single-group design, 39 healthy adult men with a mean ± SD age of 33 ± 2 y and mean ± SD body mass index (in kg/m2 ) of 22.9 ± 0.3 were genotyped with the use of whole-genome microarrays. After an overnight fast, plasma 25(OH)D status was measured, and the subjects then consumed a meal that provided 5 mg cholecalciferol as a supplement. Plasma chylomicron cholecalciferol concentration was measured over 8 h, and cholecalciferol response was assessed by calculating the postprandial area under the curve. Partial least squares regression was used to test the association of SNPs in or near candidate genes (61 genes representing 3791 SNPs) with the postprandial cholecalciferol response.

RESULTS: The postprandial chylomicron cholecalciferol concentration peaked at 5.4 h. The cholecalciferol response was extremely variable among individuals (CV: 47%). It correlated with the chylomicron triglyceride (TG) response (r = 0.60; P < 0.001) but not with the fasting plasma 25(OH)D concentration (r = 0.04; P = 0.83). A significant (P = 1.32 × 10-4 ) partial least squares regression model that included 17 SNPs in 13 genes (including 5 that have been associated with chylomicron TG response) was associated with the variance in the cholecalciferol response.

CONCLUSION: In healthy men, there is a high interindividual variability in cholecalciferol bioavailability that is associated with a combination of SNPs located in or near genes involved in both vitamin D and lipid metabolism. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02100774.