| Title: | Investigating causality in the association between vitamin D status and self-reported tiredness |
| Journal: | Scientific Reports |
| Published: | 27 Feb 2019 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30814568/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39359-z |
| URL: | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39359-z.pdf |
Publication 8697
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Abstract
Self-reported tiredness or low energy, often referred to as fatigue, has been linked to low levels of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), a biomarker of vitamin D status. Although it is uncertain if the association is causal, fatigue is a common indication for testing, and correcting, low 25OHD-levels. We used two-sample Mendelian randomization to test for genetic evidence of a causal association between low 25OHD-levels and fatigue. Genetic-25OHD associations were estimated from the largest genome-wide association study of vitamin D to date, and genetic-fatigue associations were estimated in 327,478 individuals of European descent in UK Biobank, of whom 19,526 (5.96%) reported fatigue (tiredness or low energy nearly every day over the past two weeks). Using seven genome-wide significant 25OHD-reducing genetic variants, there was little evidence for a causal effect of 25OHD on fatigue [odds ratio for fatigue was 1.05 with 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.87-1.27 per unit decrease in log-transformed 25OHD (1.02 with 95% CI of 0.99-1.06 per 1-SD decrease in log-transformed 25OHD)]. There was also little evidence of association between any individual 25OHD-reducing variant and fatigue. Our results suggest that a clinically relevant protective effect of 25OHD-levels on fatigue is unlikely. Therefore, vitamin D supplementation of the general population to raise 25OHD-levels is not likely to be useful in preventing fatigue.</p>
4 Authors
- Alexandra Havdahl
- Ruth Mitchell
- Lavinia Paternoster
- George Davey Smith
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