Vitamin D Deficiency Risks Higher for African Americans
Reported January 06, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to a higher number of heart and stroke-related deaths among African Americans, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center sought to understand the well-documented disparity between blacks and whites in cardiovascular deaths. They turned to vitamin D because growing evidence links low serum levels of vitamin D to many serious illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, kidney and heart disease.
In a study of 15,000 American adults, researchers found adults with the worst vitamin D deficiency had a 40 percent higher risk of death from cardiac illness. They also found that blacks had a 38 percent higher risk of death than whites. As vitamin D levels rose, however, the risk of death was reduced.
People get vitamin D through their diets, sun exposure and oral supplements. Genetic factors common to blacks sometimes preclude vitamin D absorption, such as a higher incidence of lactose intolerance. Also, darker skin pigment can reduce vitamin D synthesis.
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Other at-risk people include the obese and the elderly, because vitamin D levels decline with age. And although more sun exposure can boost levels of D, skin cancer is also an increasing risk to many people. Therefore, medical authorities usually recommend increased dietary intake and/or supplementation as the best way to correct a deficiency.
SOURCE: Annals of Family Medicine, January 11, 2010