New research appearing in next month’s Annals of Family Medicine suggests that vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the disparity seen between whites and blacks in regards to rates of heart attacks and strokes. After looking at data from over 15,000 Americans the researchers found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher death rates among all subjects. However, blacks had a 38% higher risk of death than whites – this did not change even when taking into account socioeconomic status. The researchers also found that the risk of death decreased as vitamin D levels increased. It should be noted that this is only an observational study, not a controlled trial. But, given these findings further studies are warranted especially if vitamin replacement, which is relatively easy to do, could reduce the risk of death.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a chronic inflammatory state that is associated with heart disease and cancer. Since vitamin D is produced in the skin in a process involving sunlight, dark-skinned individuals may produce less of it because their skin pigment blocks the UV light needed for vitamin D synthesis. [via Medical News Today]
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Tags: African Americans, blacks, Cancer, death, heart attack, inflammation, stroke, vitamin D
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Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
January 8th, 2010 at 10:40 am
Interesting piece. I wonder, however if the solution is a dietary one and not a lifestyle one. Perhaps darker skinned individuals living in the U.S. need to spend more time in the sun/outdoors than they currently do. Given the modern Western lifestyle, most people spend more time indoors than out and darker skinned individuals, in order to make the required amount of vit. D, need to spend more time in the sun. Just a suggestion….why not?
January 8th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Life Extension is realy putting pressure on the US to take more Vit D3 and I can see why. At 67 it has really helped me with morning backache that wakes me early. Older people’s skin loses its ability to produce vit D in sinlight and blacks are used to equatorial sunlight.
January 8th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Im guess a small dose of natural sunlight together with the correct supplements and correct eating plan would be the answer?Kindly forward foods high in Vit D
Thank-you
January 9th, 2010 at 7:48 am
please tell me the correct feeding plans,i’m dark skinned.
i’m a nigerian.
January 10th, 2010 at 6:08 am
The fact is like this but the black person also take sufficient Vit D from the sunlight. The colour of skin is not an obstruction,this is not research based.
January 11th, 2010 at 6:43 am
I wonder if this might at all be connected to the fact that many African Americans do not drink milk. Although he didn’t drink it himself, my father always made certain we had two glasses a day, growing up, and most of my friends found that unusual because many of them were intolerant of milk, had difficulty digesting it. When we were young, the solution often was to drink buttermilk instead. Now as an adult, some of my sisters are unable to tolerate it, anymore, and just don’t bother to find a way to have it.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Sharon, that is an excellent point which has been brought up in medical literature. It’s true that many African Americans are lactose intolerant, which can reduce the amount of vitamin D your gut absorbs. From this perspective, vitamin D deficiency can be considered to be due to a genetic cause.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
List of foods high in vitamin D, from the NIH: http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp
January 11th, 2010 at 10:09 pm
At the NIH website above, there’s a table detailing the daily recommended amounts of vitamin D base on your age. As with all supplements, don’t go overboard with them!
January 12th, 2010 at 5:53 am
in my view genetics could not have this much effects.And it could not distinct blacks from white people.the only thing considered will be dietry conditoins and socioeconomic activites. say for example blacks may not have acess for safe working enivironment and they may do risky works that in danger thier vitamin D synthesis.therefore it is beter to see in this direction rather than the gene.
January 12th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Vitamin D May Reduce Heart Attacks Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a chronic inflammatory vitamin D deficiency can be considered to be due to a genetic cause
January 13th, 2010 at 8:49 am
You are very wrong, Gahsaw, I live in an urban setting and a large percentage of people do not drink milk and it has nothing to do with their socioeconomic condition. It would be wiser to open your eyes–and your mind. I am a researcher myself and I do know that, depending on location, some factors are quite distinguishing.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:54 am
I am not a doctor, I am only masters-prepared anthropologist with years of experience in urban medical research. When research is being done and a minority population is so dense, then, yes, a researcher needs to control for certain factors. Is there anyone else on this site who will support me on this?