Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms and the Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Diabetes Risk Among Adults With...

Achieving and maintaining a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) level of 40 ng/mL or higher, compared with 20 to 30 ng/mL, may lower diabetes risk among adults with prediabetes. It is not known whether a genetically defined subgroup is more likely to experience benefits from targeting higher 25(OH)D levels with vitamin D3 supplementation.

To assess the role of common polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the association between supplementation with 4000 IU/d of vitamin D3 and the risk of diabetes among adults with prediabetes.

This genetic association study conducted a VDR genotype analysis of 3 common polymorphisms-ApaI, BsmI, and FokI-among 2098 participants in the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) clinical trial with available intratrial 25(OH)D levels and genotyping. The D2d trial was conducted from October 1, 2013, to November 28, 2018, with statistical analysis performed from January 3 to November 30, 2025.

Receipt of 4000 IU/d of vitamin D3 vs placebo for a median of 2.5 years (IQR, 1.8-3.5 years).

In the discovery phase analysis among 1903 participants with available data, the risk of diabetes across different intratrial mean 25(OH)D levels in association with the VDR polymorphisms was examined. This was followed by a test phase analysis examining the response to vitamin D3 supplementation on incident diabetes among 2098 participants according to the ApaI genotypes.

Of 2098 adults with prediabetes (mean [SD] age, 60.2 [9.9] years; 1169 men [55.7%]) in the test phase analysis, 618 with ApaI AA alleles exhibited no response to treatment with vitamin D3 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.02 [95% CI, 0.72-1.44]; models adjusted for study site, race and ethnicity, sex, baseline age, body mass index, usual physical activity, statin use, and intratrial weight change). In contrast, 1480 participants with ApaI AC and CC genotypes showed a 19% decrease in the risk of diabetes with vitamin D3 (HR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.66-0.99]).

This genetic association study of adults with prediabetes suggests that diabetes risk reduction after supplementation with 4000 IU/d of vitamin D3 was restricted to participants carrying the AC and CC alleles of the ApaI polymorphism. These findings support the potential role of ApaI genotyping in identifying individuals most likely to experience benefits from high-dose vitamin D3 treatment to reduce diabetes risk.