부산대학교 도서관

The notion that environmental factors interact with genetic variants to affect phenotypes associated with complex diseases has arisen since the early days of genetic research. Among the environmental factors, nutrition holds a strong and permanent position, as it is a factor present throughout the life span. Calcium and vitamin D are the most important nutrients with regard to the development and health of the skeleton and have been associated with a variety of bone metabolic diseases (eg, osteoporosis). Multiple interactions between these two nutrients and genetic variants have been identified in the genetic research on bone phenotypes. A summary of these interactions is presented in this review. Furthermore, some ideas for the improvement of the studies in this field are also discussed within the current framework of the genetic research into bone phenotypes.