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Study Finds Low Vitamin D Levels In Young People Of Color

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News

“Results from a University of Houston College of Nursing study indicate that 61 percent of otherwise healthy Black and Hispanic adolescents in Texas have low vitamin D levels, that drop even lower with age. ” [Source: Medicalexpress.com]

Comment

Previous research has shown that vitamin D insufficiency is more prevalent among African Americans than other Americans. In North America, most young, healthy African Americans do not achieve optimal vitamin D levels at any time of year. This is primarily due to the fact that pigmentation reduces vitamin D production in the skin.

Significantly, therefore, other researchers have even found high levels of vitamin D deficiency among people living in Africa, a continent where there is plentiful sun. A study published in The Lancet medical journal in 2019 found that, depending on how deficiency is defined, between 18 and 59 percent of African people have inadequate levels of this essential micronutrient. Attributing the problem to rapid urbanization and associated lifestyle changes, the study authors found that vitamin D deficiency is particularly common in newborn babies, women, urban populations, populations living in northern African countries, and people in South Africa.

To learn more about vitamin D, including how its D3 form has been shown to be twice as effective as the D2 form in raising blood levels of this important micronutrient, read this article on our website.

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