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Variations in skin-related genes influence how efficient we make vitamin D

April 2, 2020

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Genetic variations in the skin can create a natural sunscreen, according to University of Queensland researchers investigating the genes linked with vitamin D.

Professor John McGrath from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute said this was one of a number of ways vitamin D affected the body in a collaborative study that looked at the genomes of more than half a million people from the United Kingdom.

“This study has implicated several new skin-related genes that impact on our vitamin D status — distinct from skin color which affects our ability to make vitamin D depending on the concentration of the pigment melanin in the skin,” Professor McGrath said.

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