Strong association between VDR FokI (rs2228570) gene variant and serum vitamin D levels in Turkish Cypriots

Abstract

Vitamin D is an important molecule to keep teeth, bones and muscles healthy. It is obtained from diet, supplements and primarily from exposure to sunlight. In recent years, vitamin D deficiency is recognised as a worldwide health problem, which results in disturbances in mineral metabolism and skeletal problems. Deficiency might be caused due to sedentary lifestyle, insufficient diet, age as well as some polymorphisms in the VDR gene. In this study the four most common VDR polymorphisms (rs1544410 (BsmI), rs731236 (TaqI), rs7975232 (ApaI) and rs2228570 (FokI)) are investigated in a cohort of Turkish Cypriots and aimed to detect any possible links between low serum vitamin D levels and these variants. The rs2228570 (FokI) variant but not others were shown to have a significant association with decreased serum vitamin D levels in the Turkish Cypriot population.

Keywords: Cyprus; Polymorphism; VDR; Vitamin D deficiency.