Private MD News

Vitamin D deficiency may run in families

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

Individuals with a history of vitamin deficiency in their family may want to consider a vitamin D test, as a recent study found that genetic variants that are passed down through generations can contribute to the condition.

Researchers found four genetic variations to be associated with an increased risk of developing vitamin D deficiency, and that inheriting one or more of them can make a person more than twice as likely to have insufficient levels of the vitamin.

Thomas Wang, who led the investigation, said that the knowledge that individuals can be genetically predisposed to vitamin D deficiency could lead to better diagnoses and treatments.

"It's possible that these results could explain why some people respond well to vitamin D supplements and others don't," he said. "We also need to investigate how genetic background can have an impact in the chronic diseases that appear to be associated with vitamin D deficiency."

Other recent studies have shown a link between an insufficiency of the vitamin and diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.