The effects of high doses of vitamin D on the composition of the gut microbiome of adolescent girls

Background: Animal studies suggest that vitamin D can change the gut microbiome. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a high dose supplementation of vitamin D on the composition of the gut microbiome. Methods: After DNA extraction, TaqMan assays were used for the quantitation of selected microbiome in the feces of 50 adolescent girls before and after vitamin D supplementation. Results: The expression fold changes for Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were; 1.05, 1.20, 0.76, 0.28 and 1.50 respectively. Bacteroidetes and Lactobacillus fell by 72% (P < 0.0001) and 24% (P = 0.006) respectively, whilst Firmicutes and Bifidobacterium were increased by 1.5 (P < 0.0001), 1.2 (P < 0.0001) fold after supplementation. Conclusion: Our results suggested that a high dose supplementation of vitamin D alter the human gut microbiome composition. Future studies are required for a better understanding of the mechanisms by which vitamin D affects the gut microbiome. (c) 2019 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.