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

Summary 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  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.