Researchers have identified a modified form of vitamin D receptor present in some individuals which may reduce their risk of developing osteoporosis, a new study published in the journal Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers revealed.
"To act on cells in the body, vitamin D binds to a specific receptor on the surface of cells. A variation in the gene for the vitamin D receptor (called the Bsm I polymorphism) may change this interaction. In the article, Vitamin D Receptor BSM I Polymorphism and Osteoporosis Risk: A Meta-Analysis from 26 Studies," authors Fu Jia and colleagues, Kunming Medical University and Yunnan University of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Yunnan, People's Republic of China, report that people with this genetic variation appear to have a significantly decreased risk of developing osteoporosis.
"This meta-analysis provides a pathway to help determine the likelihood that a person may develop osteoporosis and is a good example for the potential application of genetics to clinical medicine," says Kenneth I. Berns, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, and Director of the University of Florida's Genetics Institute, College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL.
Source-Eurekalert
