An important question for dark skinned Du'ers:

[hedgehog]

I will try to phrase this carefully to avoid treading on people's sensibilities and the DU rules against prescribing on the internet, so please bear with me.

Vitamin D deficiency has been increasingly identified as one factor in glucose intolerance, Type II diabetes, auto-immune diseases such as lupus, and hypertension. African-Americans, Native Americans and Latino-Americans are subject to these problems at higher rates than European Americans.

I am a very light skinned person from a family that consumes copious amounts of milk, yogurt, cheese, etc. Every person in my family who has been tested has been found to be Vitamin D deficient. In other words, exposure to the sun and dietary sources were insufficient. It seems to me that someone with darker skin and/or lactose intolerance is much more likely to be Vitamin D deficient.

It's an unfortunate fact of American history that the African-American, Native American and Latino-American communities have in general not been well served by the American medical establishment. So my question is this: Have you been made aware of this research regarding Vitamin D? Do you know someone who should be tested?

Again, I apologize if I offend anyone by posting this. I debated making this post, but the thought that someone might benefit from this information is the most important factor.

[marmar]

1. Actually, as I understand it, lactose intolerance is highest among Asian-Americans.

nt

[hedgehog]

2. That is a group with a higher rate of Osteoporosis. Guess what

else is being increasingly tied to Vitamin D deficiency?

I apologize for bringing this up, but I can't tell if this information has become general knowledge or not.

[Lorien]

14. Why apologize for bringing it up? Everyone should be made aware that vitamin

D deficiency (as well as magnesium and B12) is incredibly common in America and causes a whole host of health risks and illnesses. Doctors are only now beginning to grasp the scope of the problem. I would imagine that the darker one's skin is the higher one's risk is naturally-but anyone using a daily sun screen or who avoids the sun completely is at just as high a risk (if not more so). Too much information isn't a bad thing, too little can be devastating.

[hedgehog]

19. There are a lot of raw nerves out there (rightfully so) , and it is

easy for someone like me to hit one inadvertently .

[AsahinaKimi]

30. lactose intolerance?? OH yeah

Got it big time. I can hardly eat Ice Cream, and I love it. I may use a teeny bit of Parmesan on spegetti, and like to nibble on tiny bits of cheese, but I can't do a whole lot. I never drank milk but chose to use soy products, stuff like Rice Dream and Almond "Milk". Don't like Milk chocolate but love the bitter flavor of dark chocolate, though can't eat a lot of that either.

Oh well. There are other ways to get vitamen D I suppose.

[deaniac21]

33. Does this mean you can't cut the cheese?

:)

[Kali]

3. blond anglo here, but this was interesting

I live in the SW and tend to ignore skin cancer warnings (and tan well rather than burn). I am also fat and some of the family is/were type II diabetic. Recently I experienced some kind of sudden health problems and went for blood work. I was pretty sure I had tipped over to diabetes. Oddly not (and much to everybody's surprise my blood pressure and cholesterols are all fine) turns out I am severely anemic. But no diabetes despite several risk factors. Could it be the D? I don't know wasn't tested, but it is an interesting subject.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Vit D deficiency

can be overcome with monitored bulk injections into a muscle so's they are slow release. I'm not sure what happens in the USA - such treatment, once correctly diagnosed, is free on our NHS other than for the prescription charge of £8 whatever. My daughter has the jab every 2 or 3 months. We're honkies but in terms of concern were all the same under the skin.

[hedgehog]

6. Here in the States the typical treatment is a high dose oral

prescription from your health care provider. It's something each person needs to discuss with his or her own providers. I can only offer the anecdotal info that my family of red-haired Irish wasn't absorbing enough Vitamin D from sun exposure even though two of us have early signs of skin cancer.

[dipsydoodle]

9. Oral isn't slow release.

I'm sure the jabs , which are definately slow release , must be available over there.

[hedgehog]

12. My guess is that here in the States going in to a doctor's office

for regular injections isn't practical.

[dipsydoodle]

21. Doctor is only necessary to get the presciption.

Any nurse can inject it. That's what Amber does. She does however have the occasional blood test at the hospital to confirm she needs a Vit D top up.

[izquierdista]

5. Go naked more

Clothing blocks that all important sunshine that helps build vitamin D levels (well, so does sitting in a dark basement blogging on the 'net). Light colored skin is an adaptation to living in northern latitudes. Light colored skin can soak up enough sunshine on those long summer days and build up enough vitamin D to last through the long winters with little sunshine. Dark skin, on the other hand, pretty much counts on lots of available sunshine all year round, and for the human to be out soaking it up. If you have dark skin, live north of 40 degrees north latitude and spend a lot of time indoors with clothes on, you're not getting enough vitamin D, that's a given.

The darker your skin, the more you need to be out in the sunshine soaking it up.

[seabeyond]

7. what i do know, i can be in the shade and the sun reaching thru to get me, lol lol

sun loves my body, my body loves the sun and i dont go out of my way to get it. i hate the heat. i hate the summer. i grew up in az and ca, living in texas now. but i tan without effort and just figure my body know best.

[TalkingDog]

22. Go "Naked at Noon" a good book on the subject of chronic and widespread Vit. D. deficiency y

She shows all the current (to that point) research and yes, African-Americans as a group in particular suffer from a host of problems associated with chronic Vit. D. deficiency. And yes, pills and pharmaceutical participation are unnecessary if you get sun safely. She explains how to do that with reduced to no risk of burning (burning is a factor in skin cancer, sunning is not as strongly associated).

[dynasaw]

8. Lactose intolerance and other communities

Lactose intolerance appears to be genetically encoded into groups that have historically not had access to milk producing animals like cattle.

People who it is not widely known to be lactose intolerant include Ashkenazi Jews and Middle Easterners.

As for "Asians" it depends on which part of Asia people are from and whether there has historically been access to milk products. Northern Chinese, Mongolians, Tibetans etc., have always had milk and milk products from mares and yaks. Populations in south China until recent times have had practically no milk producing animals or dairy foods in their diets.

[hedgehog]

11. Again, it is significant only because milk is supplemented with Vitamin D

If you don't drink milk, your alternative major source is exposure of skin to sun light.

[supernova]

10. Dr Oz

has said re: Vit D that if you live pretty much anywhere north of Atlanta, you probably don't get enough sunlight to make enough Vit D. He recommends everybody take it. According to him, about 10-15 mins in the sun for a caucasian person, make that more like 20 mins for a darker-skinned person.

He said this on Oprah one day last year. I know some DUers don't like Oprah, but this has nothing to do with her. I will try to find a quote or clip from him.

edit:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/daily-dose-vitamin-d

FWIW, I'm a blue-eyed blonde who burns and I've been lactose-intolerant since I was born.

[Lorien]

15. And most people should be taking at least 4000 iu a day, which is a good bit more

than the recommended daily allowance.

[supernova]

16. I would do that for a limited time

then get tested to make sure blood levels are sufficient.

I don't think anyone should take 4K IUs indefinitely.

[hedgehog]

20. Which illustrates why this should be discussed with your doctor.

[wolfgangmo]

13. Comment from a medical clinic.

This is very true. Ideal ranges for Vit. D are in the 50 to 80 range. Testing (at least in Minnesota) is non prescription and many labs will allow anyone to walk in and get this test (Vitamin D - 25 hydroxy). We strongly encourage everyone to get this test because in MN does NOT get enough sun. The cost here is about $30. If your numbers are below 10 then you should get on a mycelized vitamin D supplement taking about 10000 units a day for about 3 months and then get retested.

Just our 2 cents. Don't take this as medical advice as your particular case may not be simple. Remember that free advice is worth every penny you pay for it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. Me-Me-Me-Me-Me.

Latina checking in. Turning fifty was the best thing that ever happened to me. For fifteen years I had been dealing with severe hypoglycemia. I dreaded the fasting test for the colonoscopy because the only thing that kept the blood sugar steady was food. I delayed taking the test because of that concern. But, I couldn't hold it off any more and set a date. Because I had to do the fasting I experimented with sugar drinks and discovered that I had an intolerance to anything with fructose if I took it on an empty stomach. I could handle it on a full stomach, but the effects were lethal otherwise. This would be consistent with my observation that giving a hypoglycemic a sugar drink, thinking that sugar will fix the problem is a huge mistake if that sugar is fructose based. I think it's this fructose consumption over a long period of time that explains why hypoglycemics eventually become diabetic.

And then I did the bone density test and had to take extra supplements of calcium and vitamin D. Suddenly, things are looking up. I take around 1800 in supplements every day.

Good post.

And, yes, the medical community has not served us well.

[hedgehog]

18. Thank -you.

[ellenfl]

23. good thread. eom

[hedgehog]

24. There's tons of posts with references over in the Health forum,

I just don't remember seeing any mention over here in GD.

[ellenfl]

27. thanks. i'll check it out. i rarely go anywhere but here and vids. eom

[Cleita]

25. Since it's only been decades since the medical establishment realized that treating

women for ailments like they treated men wasn't getting them the treatment they needed, I think they are still further off in giving the right treatment for the right disease depending on a person's genes. Even more complicated is someone like me of recent mixed heritage who might have hidden vulnerabilities not visible in my skin color or other markers.

[hedgehog]

29. It's a balancing act. Sunlight destroys one of the B vitamins,

so light skinned people in the Tropics are in trouble. Sunlight absorbed through the skin is used by the body to manufacture Vitamin D, so dark skinned people in the north are in trouble. Diet and/or supplements can make the difference for both groups. For example, the Inuit diet which is heavy in fish provided Vitamin D.

As you say, everyone has to take into account their own ethnic heritage and their own lifestyle. Ine size doesn't fit all. For example, my elderly mother who rarely goes outside was very deficient in Vitamin D.

[ellenfl]

31. i'm confused. will you explain this further please re the

dangers for light skinned people vs the dangers for dark skinned. as black absorbs light/heat and white reflects light/heat, are you saying that light skinned people in florida don't get enough 'd' even though we get more light than northerners? we may not absorb as well but we get more, yes? why would dark skinned people in the north not make enough 'd', assuming my premise that dark absorbs more light/heat? apparently i'm misunderstanding something.

tia.

ellen fl

[Duer 157099]

32. From my limited understanding, the melanin in skin competes for the UVB rays

So, the more melanin a person has in their skin, the less UVB rays are available to the precursor molecule (7-dehydrocholesterol) that needs the UVB to make vitamin D in the skin/body.

[ellenfl]

34. ah, didn't know that. i must make lots of 'd' then. eom

[ecstatic]

26. I'm going to get a calcium supplement

I don't drink milk, rarely eat yogurt, so I know I must be deficient. :(

[hedgehog]

28. Check with your doctor, because even if you get enough calcium,

without enough Vitamin D you won't metabolize it properly.