EXERCISE WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS PREVENTS SEASONAL DECLINE IN VITAMIN D METABOLITES: The VitaDEx Randomized Controlled Trial

Oliver J. Perkin; Sophie E. Davies; Martin Hewison; Kerry S. Jones; Javier T. Gonzalez; James A. Betts; Carl Jenkinson; Mark A. Lindsay; Sarah R.  Meadows; Damon A. Parkington; Albert  Koulman; Dylan Thompson

doi:10.1002/advs.202416312

EXERCISE WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS PREVENTS SEASONAL DECLINE IN VITAMIN D METABOLITES: The VitaDEx Randomized Controlled Trial

Oliver J. Perkin, Sophie E. Davies, Martin Hewison, Kerry S. Jones, Javier T. Gonzalez, James A. Betts, Carl Jenkinson, Mark A. Lindsay, Sarah R. Meadows, Damon A. Parkington, Albert Koulman, Dylan Thompson

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (SciVal)

Abstract

Many adults become vitamin D deficient or insufficient during winter at northerly latitudes when cutaneous vitamin D synthesis does not occur. Vitamin D accumulates in adipose tissue and people with overweight or obesity are more likely to have low systemic vitamin D. This randomized controlled trial demonstrates that regular exercise completely maintains serum concentrations of the active vitamin D metabolite 1,25(OH) ₂D ₃ over winter and may ameliorate the decline in 25(OH)D status in overweight men and women, even without weight loss. The binding of 1,25(OH) ₂D ₃ to the vitamin D receptor mediates the crucial role for vitamin D in the healthy function of multiple organ systems and vitamin D supplementation does not impact circulating 1,25(OH) ₂D ₃. Thus, the VitaDEx study provides causal evidence that exercise plays an important role in vitamin D metabolism that is distinct from the effects of oral supplementation.

Original language	English
Article number	2416312
Journal	Advanced Science
Volume	12
Issue number	22
Early online date	11 May 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202416312
Publication status	Published - 12 Jun 2025

Data Availability Statement

All other data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are available through the University of Bath Data Archive (https://doi.org/10.15125/BATH-01420), that is, all data reported in the present study at an anonymized participant level. These data will remain in the Data Archive indefinitely. Any additional information required to reanalyze the data reported in this paper is available from the corresponding authors upon request, and transfer agreements will be established as required.

Funding

The authors thank the participants for their time and dedication to participation in this study. This research was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC Research Grant; BB/R018928/1) and by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR203312). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. The authors thank the Oxford Genomics Centre at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (funded by Wellcome Trust grant reference 203141/A/16/Z) for the generation and initial processing of the sequencing data.

Funders	Funder number
National Institute on Handicapped Research
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council	BB/R018928/1
NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre	NIHR203312
The Wellcome Trust	203141/A/16/Z

Keywords

1,25(OH)D
Exercise
VitaDEx
Vitamin D
Weight Stable
Winter

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Medicine (miscellaneous)
General Chemical Engineering
General Materials Science
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous)
General Engineering
General Physics and Astronomy

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1002/advs.202416312Licence: CC BY

Cite this

Perkin, O. J., Davies, S. E., Hewison, M., Jones, K. S., Gonzalez, J. T., Betts, J. A., Jenkinson, C., Lindsay, M. A., Meadows, S. R., Parkington, D. A., Koulman, A., & Thompson, D. (2025). EXERCISE WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS PREVENTS SEASONAL DECLINE IN VITAMIN D METABOLITES: The VitaDEx Randomized Controlled Trial. Advanced Science, 12(22), Article 2416312. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202416312

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title = "EXERCISE WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS PREVENTS SEASONAL DECLINE IN VITAMIN D METABOLITES: The VitaDEx Randomized Controlled Trial",

abstract = "Many adults become vitamin D deficient or insufficient during winter at northerly latitudes when cutaneous vitamin D synthesis does not occur. Vitamin D accumulates in adipose tissue and people with overweight or obesity are more likely to have low systemic vitamin D. This randomized controlled trial demonstrates that regular exercise completely maintains serum concentrations of the active vitamin D metabolite 1,25(OH) 2D 3 over winter and may ameliorate the decline in 25(OH)D status in overweight men and women, even without weight loss. The binding of 1,25(OH) 2D 3 to the vitamin D receptor mediates the crucial role for vitamin D in the healthy function of multiple organ systems and vitamin D supplementation does not impact circulating 1,25(OH) 2D 3. Thus, the VitaDEx study provides causal evidence that exercise plays an important role in vitamin D metabolism that is distinct from the effects of oral supplementation.",

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month = jun,

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doi = "10.1002/advs.202416312",

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AU - Davies, Sophie E.

AU - Hewison, Martin

AU - Jones, Kerry S.

AU - Gonzalez, Javier T.

AU - Betts, James A.

AU - Jenkinson, Carl

AU - Lindsay, Mark A.

AU - Meadows, Sarah R.

AU - Parkington, Damon A.

AU - Koulman, Albert

AU - Thompson, Dylan

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AB - Many adults become vitamin D deficient or insufficient during winter at northerly latitudes when cutaneous vitamin D synthesis does not occur. Vitamin D accumulates in adipose tissue and people with overweight or obesity are more likely to have low systemic vitamin D. This randomized controlled trial demonstrates that regular exercise completely maintains serum concentrations of the active vitamin D metabolite 1,25(OH) 2D 3 over winter and may ameliorate the decline in 25(OH)D status in overweight men and women, even without weight loss. The binding of 1,25(OH) 2D 3 to the vitamin D receptor mediates the crucial role for vitamin D in the healthy function of multiple organ systems and vitamin D supplementation does not impact circulating 1,25(OH) 2D 3. Thus, the VitaDEx study provides causal evidence that exercise plays an important role in vitamin D metabolism that is distinct from the effects of oral supplementation.

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KW - Vitamin D

KW - Weight Stable

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EXERCISE WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS PREVENTS SEASONAL DECLINE IN VITAMIN D METABOLITES: The VitaDEx Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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Mobilising Vitamin D Sequestered In Adipose Tissue In Humans

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EXERCISE WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS PREVENTS SEASONAL DECLINE IN VITAMIN D METABOLITES: The VitaDEx Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Mobilising Vitamin D Sequestered In Adipose Tissue In Humans

Cite this