Half the Genetic Variance in Vitamin D Concentration is Shared with Skin Colour and Sun Exposure Genes

Abstract

This study assessed the heritability of 25 hydroxyvitamin D₃ (25(OH)D3) in a large twin cohort and the shared effect of sun exposure and skin colour on 25(OH)D3 variance. Study participants included 1604 twin pairs and their siblings (n = 4020). Twin correlations for 25(OH)D3 concentration were r_MZ=0.79 (584 pairs) and r_DZ = 0.52 (1020 pairs) consistent with an average h² = 0.50 throughout the year. Significant phenotypic and genetic seasonal fluctuation was observed in 25(OH)D3 concentrations with heritability decreasing during the winter (h² = 0.37) compared to summer (h² = 0.62). Skin colour (measured both ordinally and quantitatively) and self-reported sun exposure were found to significantly affect 25(OH)D3 concentration. Twins with olive/dark skin had significantly lower 25(OH)D3 concentrations than those with fair/pale skin and multivariate genetic analysis showed that approximately half of the total additive genetic variation in 25(OH)D3 results from genes whose primary influence is on skin colour and sun exposure. Additionally, 37% of the total variance was attributed to shared environmental effects on vitamin D, skin colour and sun exposure measures. These results support a moderate estimate of vitamin D heritability and suggest significant influence of season, skin colour and sun exposure on the genetic variance.

Keywords: Genetics; Heritability; Skin colour; Sun exposure; Twin; Vitamin D.