Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30324342›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of nutrition2019

Vitamin D and the gut microbiome: a systematic review of in vivo studies.

Mary Waterhouse, Bronwyn Hope, Lutz Krause, Mark Morrison, Melinda M Protani, Martha Zakrzewski, Rachel E Neale

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of nutrition, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 107 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
107citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

107 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 178 citations in OpenAlex.

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  10. [Interpretation of the Expert Consensus Statement on the Role of Vitamin D in Metabolic Health].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2026
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47 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Mary WaterhousePopulation Health Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
Bronwyn HopePopulation Health Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
Lutz KrauseFaculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Instititute, Brisbane, Australia.
Mark MorrisonFaculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Instititute, Brisbane, Australia.
Melinda M ProtaniSchool of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Martha ZakrzewskiPopulation Health Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
Rachel E NealePopulation Health Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia. Rachel.Neale@qimrberghofer.edu.au.
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute · AUUniversity of Queensland · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeVariation in the human microbiome has been linked with a variety of physiological functions, including immune regulation and metabolism and biosynthesis of vitamins, hormones, and neurotransmitters. Evidence for extraskeletal effects of vitamin D has been accruing and it has been suggested that the effect of vitamin D on health is partially mediated through the microbiome. We aimed to critically evaluate the evidence linking vitamin D and the gastrointestinal microbiome.

methodsWe systematically searched the Embase, Web of Science, PubMed and CINAHL databases, including peer-reviewed publications that reported an association between a measure of vitamin D and the gastrointestinal microbiome in humans or experimental animals.

resultsWe included 10 mouse and 14 human studies. Mouse studies compared mice fed diets containing different levels of vitamin D (usually high versus low), or vitamin D receptor knockout or Cyp27B1 knockout with wild-type mice. Five mouse studies reported an increase in Bacteroidetes (or taxa within that phylum) in the low vitamin D diet or gene knockout group. Human studies were predominantly observational; all but two of the included studies found some association between vitamin D and the gut microbiome, but the nature of differences observed varied across studies.

conclusionsDespite substantial heterogeneity, we found evidence to support the hypothesis that vitamin D influences the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiome. However, the research is limited, having been conducted either in mice or in mostly small, selected human populations. Future research in larger population-based studies is needed to fully understand the extent to which vitamin D modulates the microbiome.

Indexed as

AnimalsDietGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHumansMiceModels, AnimalVitamin DVitaminsVitamin DVitaminsGut microbiotaMicrobiomeSystematic reviewVitamin D

Identifiers

PMID30324342
OpenAlexW2898073983

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.