Health & Medicine - Posted by Leslie Orr-Rochester on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 13:24 - 9 Comments 
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Vitamin D, race, and cardiac deaths
Overall, the analysis showed that, as expected, a vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher rates of death among all people in the sample. In fact, those adults with the worst deficiency had a 40 percent higher risk of death from cardiac illness. This suggests that vitamin D may be a modifiable, independent risk factor for heart disease, says lead researcher Kevin Fiscella.
U. ROCHESTER—Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to a higher number of heart and stroke-related deaths among black Americans compared to whites, a new study finds.
Share this article
Email
Republish this article
The text of this article by Futurity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License.
University of Rochester researchers 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 D to many serious illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, kidney, and heart disease.
Details of the study are scheduled to be published in the January-February edition of the Annals of Family Medicine—available online Jan. 11.
Lead author Kevin Fiscella says a complex host of genetic and lifestyle factors among blacks may explain why this population group has lower vitamin D levels across the lifespan than other races.
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, which can eliminate vitamin-D fortified milk from the diet, and darker skin pigment that significantly reduces vitamin D synthesis.
“Therefore, our study suggests that the next step would be to intervene to boost vitamin D levels safely, with supplements,” says Fiscella, a national expert on disparities in health care and a professor of family medicine and community and preventive medicine.
With funding through the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Fiscella and colleagues studied a sample of more than 15,000 American adults. The data included measurements of blood levels of vitamin D and death rates due to cardiovascular disease. Researchers also looked at other factors that contribute to heart health, such as body mass index, smoking status and levels of C-reactive protein.
Overall, the analysis showed that, as expected, a vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher rates of death among all people in the sample. In fact, those adults with the worst deficiency had a 40 percent higher risk of death from cardiac illness.
This suggests that vitamin D may be a modifiable, independent risk factor for heart disease, Fiscella says.
Most striking, however, was that when researchers adjusted the statistics to look at race, blacks had a 38 percent higher risk of death than whites. As vitamin D levels rose, however, the risk of death was reduced. The same was true when researchers analyzed the effect of poverty on cardiovascular death rates among blacks, which suggests that vitamin D deficiency and poverty each exert separate risk factors, according to the study.
A review article published in September 2009 in the American Journal of Medicine, noted that vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide health problem. In the U.S., inadequate vitamin D has been reported in about 36 percent of otherwise healthy young adults and about 57 percent of general medicine hospitalized patients.
Most of the body’s tissues and cells have vitamin D receptors, making it a potent regulator of cell activity and growth. A deficiency contributes to inflammation associated with heart disease, many cancers and poor bone health.
Fiscella cautions, however, that not all observational studies of vitamin deficiency are borne out by subsequent clinical trials. For example, previous observational studies of vitamin E and beta-carotene that were associated with poor heart health did not hold up in later clinical studies. The need to further assess the vitamin D connection to heart disease is convincing, however, particularly among blacks, he adds.
Other at-risk people include the obese and the elderly, (particularly housebound or nursing home residents), 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.
University of Rochester health news: www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/
Please wait
9 Comments
Dietary Fructose Inhibits Intestinal Calcium Absorption and Induces Vitamin D Insufficiency
We also know high-fibre diet reduces plasma half-life of 25(OH)D3.
Vitamin D3 is fat soluble. Raised insulin levels lead to fat storage. As fat molecules are stored in fat cells so Vitamin D3 is taken out of circulation as adipose tissue increases, Vitamin D3 insufficiency is associated with obesity.
The process of photosynthesis of Vitamin D3 from cholesterol near skin surface uses UVA and UVB. Although UVA helps produce previtamin D and also processes unabsorbed vitamin D3 into suprasterols the body doesn’t use UVB (heat) is required to process previtamin d into vitamin D3.
It follows that UVA exposure without UVB (as through sunny window, car windscreen, covered shopping mall) degrades D3 near skin surface into those suprasterols you body doesn’t use. This may have been a useful strategy to prevent vitamin D3 toxicity at a time prolonged outdoor exposure was required for hunting/gathering but now being exposed to more UVA exposure than UVB exposure leads to declining 25(OH)D levels. Sunscreen use, cosmetic use, time in front of TV/PC, as well as clothing all contribute to lower levels.
Fortunately up to 10,000iu/daily D3 (the amount skin naturally makes in a few minutes full body exposure) is both cheap and safe.
Lere
Sounds very like what they said about anti-oxidants and folic acid; now they’re not so keen
Alternative view of Vitamin D. (scroll down a bit)
Black-White Differences in Cancer Risk and the Vitamin D Hypothesis
There will always be some who fail to understand humans evolved living outdoors, near naked, and human DNA evolved to produce human breast milk replete with D3 at around 60ng/ml.
Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels in Fully Breastfed Infants on Oral Vitamin D Supplementation
Given the fact human skin produces 10,000iu~20,000iu D3 given a few minutes sun exposure and naturally attains and maintains (when near full body sun exposure is available) a status between 60~80ng/ml it’s not surprising that primitive level 0f 25(OH)D3 is associated with least incidence of chronic illness.
A critical review of Vitamin D and Cancer A report of the IARC Working Group William B Grant
Shining light on the vitamin D Holick
Levels of vitamin D and cardiometabolic disordersHigh levels of vitamin D among middle-age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. If the relationship proves to be causal, interventions targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardiometabolic disorders.
Travels of a of a World Citizen
[...] again, get outside, does not mean go to the mall, take a drive – means get outside, breathe the fresh [...]
Navin
At a basic level Vitamin D affects the most significant factors of human longevity. It is also is dangerously cheap and threatens the profits of pharma companies, docs, hospitals, chiropractors etc etc.
I can attest to with some authority because I benefited from Vitamin D. It is the single biggest factor for me after air, water and my ovo-lacto vegetarian diet.
If you are Black, Asian and your ancestors in the last 500 years lived close to the equator; you must get your and your childrens Vitamin D levels tested. Frankly, if you are not giving adequate Vitamin D to your kids no matter what else you do it does not matter.
I lived in three continents by the age of 22 and I am nearing 50. I can say with certainity pretty much every ailment of human body is connected to low Vitamin D levels. Remember dark skinned people are impacted at least ten times more.
I warmly recommend your website to anyone whos interested in a safer envyronment
Ender Berett
I hear people can use homogenizing cell flow patterns to help with Vitamin D. Is that correct? Is it easier or harder than extra intake?
VekSkesyLet
[url=http://kamagrauksales.co.uk]kamagra sales[/url] *hi2329# kamagra fast
For many years it was considered a given that the American Diet was totally adequate to provide all of the vitamins and minerals that the human body needed. Now 36 percent of ‘healthy’ individuals have low Vitamin D levels. Something doesn’t add up here.