INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D insufficiency negatively impacts the health and training efficiency of athletes. The growing prevalence of vitamin D deficiency worldwide might be a combined outcome of dietary inadequacy, less exposure to sun, and genetic predisposition. Variations in CYP2R1 gene have been linked by several studies to vitamin D serum concentration. Especially, the rs10741657(G) allele has been associated with lower vitamin D status and thus a potential cause for Vitamin D insufficiency. Although more than 76% of Indians suffer from vitamin D deficiency, currently there are no studies on Vitamin D levels in Indian Athletes and understanding the genetic predisposition to lower vitamin D status. Thus, the aim of this study was to check for an association between CYP2R1 polymorphism and Vitamin D levels of athletes participating across different sporting category. METHODS: 91 Indian Elite and sub-elite athletes (Male:44 Female:47) participating in different sports categories (Weightlifting (29), Badminton (31), Athletics (14), Rowing (17)) aged 18.61 (SD=4.2) years were included in the study. The blood sample was collected for laboratory analysis. PCR-RFLP of SNP on CYP2R1 (rs10741657) was carried out and vitamin D levels were checked using the ELISA kit method. Chi-square analysis was done to understand the distribution of allele and genotype frequency among gender & sports categories. To find the association between the genotype and vitamin D status ANOVA and Independent sample t-test were carried out. RESULTS: Majority (92.3%) of the participants were vitamin D insufficient. Vitamin D deficiency was highest among weightlifters and athletics groups (100%), irrespective of gender, followed by female rowers (88%), and Badminton players (64.5%). The genotypic frequency for Wild, Heterozygote and Mutant was 21%, 40% and 39% respectively. The average Vitamin D levels across the Wild, Heterozygote and Mutant genotypes were 27.39 ng/mL, 13.39 ng/mL and 12.41 ng/mL, respectively and it was found significantly different. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among the athletes in the study. This deficiency may be due to the higher prevalence of alternate allele CYP2R1 polymorphism. Thus, making the genetic makeup a key player in determining the Vitamin D status of athletes.
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