Low Vitamin D Doubles Stroke Risk in Caucasians

BALTIMORECaucasians who have low levels of vitamin D double their risk of stroke compared to blacks with low vitamin D levels, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins analyzed health records of a nationally representative group of 7,981 black and Caucasian adults and found nearly 7 percent of the Caucasian patients were vitamin D-deficient, compared with more than 32 percent of the black participants. Caucasians with too little vitamin D had twice the risk of dying from stroke as Caucasians with adequate levels of vitamin D, which is obtained from fortified dairy products, fatty fish, dietary supplements and exposure to sunlight.

The results were puzzling, noted lead researcher Dr. Erin Michos of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine: "We thought maybe the lower vitamin D levels might actually explain why blacks have higher risks for strokes. But we did not find the same relationship between vitamin D and stroke in blacks."

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 140,000 Americans annually and permanently disabling over 500,000.