The ViTaL-D Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the Impact of Vitamin D Biofortified Tomatoes on Serum Levels of 25(OH)D - a two phase, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel arm trial (RCT).
IRAS ID
349335
Contact name
Martin Warren
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Quadram Institute Bioscience
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Vitamin D is a nutrient that our bodies need to stay healthy, and it's sometimes called the "sunshine vitamin" because your body can produce it when your skin is exposed to sunlight.
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus which is important for building and maintaining strong bones, teeth and muscles. It also helps support your immune system to fight off infections and illnesses. Some research also links low vitamin D levels to mood disorders such as depression.
In the UK from late spring to summer (April – September time) most people can produce the Vitamin D that they need from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. In the autumn and winter there is not as much sunlight so your body cannot make enough Vitamin D alone and deficiency is a significant problem (1 in 5 people).
Taking Vitamin D supplements and eating foods higher in vitamin D is recommended in these winter months (year-round for some people). However, most foods are very low in Vitamin D, especially plant sources.
In this study we have developed a tomato that have been bred to increase their Vitamin D content, we refer to this as biofortification. To do this, scientists have changed a specific part of the tomato plants DNA so that it develops vitamin D in the fruit and leaves of the plant where usually there is very little.
The aim of this study is to compare whether the soup made with the higher levels of vitamin D would result in higher levels of active vitamin D in the blood of those who have eaten it, compared with people that have eaten soup made without the biofortified tomatoes.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SW/0138
Date of REC Opinion
29 Nov 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion