Context Lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with greater risks of many chronic diseases across large, prospective community-based studies. Substrate 25-hydroxyvitamin D must be converted to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D for full biological activity, and complex metabolic pathways suggest that interindividual variability in vitamin D metabolism may alter the clinical consequences of measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Objective To investigate whether common variation within genes encoding the vitamin D–binding protein, megalin, cubilin, CYP27B1, CYP24A1, and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) modify associations of low 25-hydroxyvitamin D with major clinical outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants Examination of 141 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in a discovery cohort of 1514 white participants (who were recruited from 4 US regions) from the community-based Cardiovascular Health Study. Participants had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D measurements in 1992–1993 and were followed up for a median of 11 years (through 2006). Replication meta-analyses were conducted across the independent, community-based US Health, Aging, and Body Composition (n=922; follow-up: 1998–1999 through 2005), Italian Invecchiare in Chianti (n=835; follow-up: 1998–2000 through 2006), and Swedish Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men (n = 970; follow-up: 1991–1995 through 2008) cohort studies. Main Outcome Measure Composite outcome of incident hip facture, myocardial infarction, cancer, and mortality over long-term follow-up. Results Interactions between 5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and low 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration were identified in the discovery phase and 1 involving a variant in the VDR gene replicated in independent meta-analysis. Among Cardiovascular Health Study participants, low 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was associated with hazard ratios for risk of the composite outcome of 1.40 (95% CI, 1.12–1.74) for those who had 1 minor allele at rs7968585 and 1.82 (95% CI, 1.31–2.54) for those with 2 minor alleles at rs7968585. In contrast, there was no evidence of an association (estimated hazard ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.70–1.24]) among participants who had 0 minor alleles at this single-nucleotide polymorphism. Conclusion Known associations of low 25-hydroxyvitamin D with major health outcomes may vary according to common genetic differences in the vitamin D receptor.

Chronic kidney disease is characterized, in part, as a state of decreased production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D); however, this paradigm overlooks the role of vitamin D catabolism. We developed a mass spectrometric assay to quantify serum concentration of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (24,25(OH)2D), the first metabolic product of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) by CYP24A1, and determined its clinical correlates and associated outcomes among 278 participants with chronic kidney disease in the Seattle Kidney Study. For eGFRs of 60 or more, 45–59, 30–44, 15–29, and under 15 ml/min/1.73m2, the mean serum 24,25(OH)2D concentrations significantly trended lower from 3.6, 3.2, 2.6, 2.6, to 1.7 ng/ml, respectively. Non-Hispanic Black race, diabetes, albuminuria, and lower serum bicarbonate were also independently and significantly associated with lower 24,25(OH)2D concentrations. The 24,25(OH)2D concentration was more strongly correlated with that of parathyroid hormone than was 25(OH)D or 1,25(OH)2D. A 24,25(OH)2D concentration below the median was associated with increased risk of mortality in unadjusted analysis, but this was attenuated with adjustment for potential confounding variables. Thus, chronic kidney disease is a state of stagnant vitamin D metabolism characterized by decreases in both 1,25(OH)2D production and vitamin D catabolism.

Single measurements may misclassify annual exposure, which may lead to bias in research and complicate clinical decision making. Objective: We aimed to develop and validate a model for adjusting a single measurement of a serum 25(OH)D concentration to the time of year it was measured. Design: We measured serum 25(OH)D concentrations by using mass spectrometry in 6476 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis at baseline and again in a subset of 368 participants at a median of 17 mo later. We estimated a cosinor model to describe the seasonal variability in 25(OH)D concentrations and evaluated this model by using follow-up 25(OH)D measurements. Results: The mean age of subjects was 62.1 y, 61.2% of participants were nonwhite, and 53.3% of participants were women. The cosinor model predicted follow-up 25(OH)D concentrations better than a single measurement [difference in root mean squared error (RMSE): 1.3 ng/mL; P, 0.001]. The cosinor model also better predicted the measured annual mean 25(OH)D concentration (difference in RMSE: 1.0 ng/mL; P, 0.001). Annual mean 25(OH)D concentrations estimated from the cosinor model reclassified 7.1% of participants with regard to 25(OH)D deficiency, which was defined as ,20 ng/mL. An estimated annual mean 25(OH)D concentration ,20 ng/mL was significantly associated with lower bone mineral density, whereas an untransformed 25(OH)D concentration ,20 ng/mL was not. Conclusions: Cross-sectional data can be used to estimate subjectspecific mean annual 25(OH)D concentrations from single values by using a cosinor model. The tool we developed by using this approach may assist research and clinical care of adults in North America by reducing the misclassification of 25(OH)D deficiency.

Low circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are associated with adverse health outcomes in diverse populations. However, 25(OH)D concentrations vary seasonally with varying exposure to sunlight, so single measurements may poorly reflect long-term 25(OH)D exposure. The authors investigated cyclical trends in average serum 25(OH)D concentrations among 2,298 individuals enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study of community-based older adults (1992-1993). A sinusoidal model closely approximated observed 25(OH)D concentrations and fit the data significantly better than did a mean model (P < 0.0001). The mean annual 25(OH)D concentration was 25.1 ng/mL (95% confidence interval: 24.7, 25.5), and the mean peak-trough difference was 9.6 ng/mL (95% confidence interval: 8.5, 10.7). Male sex, higher latitude of study site, and greater physical activity levels were associated with larger peak-trough difference in 25(OH)D concentration (each P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of intact parathyroid hormone and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase also varied in a sinusoidal fashion (P < 0.0001), inversely to 25(OH)D. In conclusion, serum 25(OH)D varies in a sinusoidal manner, with large seasonal differences relative to mean concentration and laboratory evidence of biologic sequelae. Single 25(OH)D measurements might not capture overall vitamin D status, and the extent of misclassification could vary by demographic and behavioral factors. Accounting for collection time may reduce bias in research studies and improve decision-making in clinical care.

Our findings indicate that allopurinol treatment may provide a survival benefit among patients with hyperuricaemia.