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Blacks aren’t getting enough vitamin D – low levels are linked to covid deaths

Vitamin D may be the most important supplement you’re not taking—or not taking enough of. Most of us—and even our doctors—have little idea that taking regular amounts of it may help stave off some of the most common life-threatening illnesses.
Best known for building bones and preventing rickets—a bone disease more common in the days of Charles Dickens than today—vitamin D has recently been shown to lower the risk of diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, memory loss and several types of cancer.
Despite this good news, most Americans don’t get near enough vitamin D. And among African Americans, some experts have called vitamin D deficiency a “hidden epidemic” and have speculated that low levels are to blame for higher rates of diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. The Chicago Sun-Times went even further, linking African-American death rates from aggressive forms of breast and prostate cancer to low levels of vitamin D.
In the body, vitamin D is produced by sun exposure. But Americans aren’t exposed to as much sunlight as we used to be—either because we’re inside watching TV or hunched over computers or avoiding the sun to prevent skin cancer.
So how much vitamin D do we need? That’s still being debated. In March, researchers at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine found that 3 in 4 Americans had insufficient levels of vitamin D, up from about 1 in 2, when measured 20 years ago.
Last fall, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended infants, children and adolescents double the amount of D they ingest each day. The government recommends a daily intake of 200 international units (IU) from birth to age 50, 400 IU for people between 51 and 70, and 600 IU for those over 70.
Other experts have suggested even bigger boosts. The University of Colorado researchers advised increasing vitamin D intake to 1,000 IU daily. The well-respected Institute of Medicine went even further, recommending 2,000 IU a day. So drinking fortified milk, at 100 IU a glass, is just not enough.

2 COMMENTS

Mary April 20, 2021 At 8:49 am

Good idea, glad it will continue across the island
INPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL ANTIGUANS April 20, 2021 At 9:33 am

Blacks aren’t getting enough vitamin D – low levels are linked to covid deaths

Vitamin D may be the most important supplement you’re not taking—or not taking enough of. Most of us—and even our doctors—have little idea that taking regular amounts of it may help stave off some of the most common life-threatening illnesses.
Best known for building bones and preventing rickets—a bone disease more common in the days of Charles Dickens than today—vitamin D has recently been shown to lower the risk of diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, memory loss and several types of cancer.
Despite this good news, most Americans don’t get near enough vitamin D. And among African Americans, some experts have called vitamin D deficiency a “hidden epidemic” and have speculated that low levels are to blame for higher rates of diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. The Chicago Sun-Times went even further, linking African-American death rates from aggressive forms of breast and prostate cancer to low levels of vitamin D.
In the body, vitamin D is produced by sun exposure. But Americans aren’t exposed to as much sunlight as we used to be—either because we’re inside watching TV or hunched over computers or avoiding the sun to prevent skin cancer.
So how much vitamin D do we need? That’s still being debated. In March, researchers at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine found that 3 in 4 Americans had insufficient levels of vitamin D, up from about 1 in 2, when measured 20 years ago.
Last fall, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended infants, children and adolescents double the amount of D they ingest each day. The government recommends a daily intake of 200 international units (IU) from birth to age 50, 400 IU for people between 51 and 70, and 600 IU for those over 70.
Other experts have suggested even bigger boosts. The University of Colorado researchers advised increasing vitamin D intake to 1,000 IU daily. The well-respected Institute of Medicine went even further, recommending 2,000 IU a day. So drinking fortified milk, at 100 IU a glass, is just not enough.

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2 COMMENTS

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