VDR Taq Gene and Osteoporosis

The VDR gene provides instructions for making a protein called vitamin D receptor (VDR), which allows the body to respond appropriately to vitamin D. This vitamin can be acquired from foods in the diet or made in the body with help from sunlight. Vitamin D is involved in maintaining the proper balance of several minerals in the body, including calcium and phosphate, which are essential for the normal formation of bones and teeth. One of vitamin D's major roles is to control the absorption of calcium and phosphate from the intestines into the bloodstream. Vitamin D is also involved in several processes unrelated to bone formation.1

Osteoporosis is a condition caused by low bone density which makes your bones weak and more likely to break. Risk factors include: getting older (over 50), being small and thin, being a white or Asian woman, smoking and lack of exercise.

Low blood levels of calcium may cause bone disease. Calcitriol is a form of vitamin D that is used to treat and prevent low levels of calcium in the blood of patients whose kidneys or parathyroid glands are not working normally. Response to both calcium and calcitriol therapy is dependent on genetic variation at the VDR locus. Vitamin D receptor genotypes influence the success of therapies for osteoporosis such as calcitriol. 1

Related to:
Vitamin D, Calcitriol, Osteoporosis, Menopause