Investigating causality in the association between vitamin D status and self-reported tiredness

Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 27;9(1):2880. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39359-z.

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 of 0.87-1.27 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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Fatigue / blood
  • Fatigue / diagnosis*
  • Fatigue / etiology
  • Female
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mendelian Randomization Analysis
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
  • Risk Factors
  • Self Report*
  • Vitamin D / analogs & derivatives*
  • Vitamin D / blood
  • Vitamin D Deficiency / complications*
  • Vitamin D Deficiency / genetics

Substances

  • Vitamin D
  • 25-hydroxyvitamin D