Vitamin D, Race Linked to Cardiac Deaths

ROCHESTER, N.Y.Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to a higher number of heart and stroke-related deaths among black Americans compared to Caucasians, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study published in the January-February issue of Annals of Family Medicine.

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.

Our study suggests that the next step would be to intervene to boost vitamin D levels safely, with supplements, said Kevin Fiscella, MD, a national expert on disparities in healthcare and a professor of Family Medicine and Community and Preventive Medicine at URMC.

Researchers 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.

Vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher rates of death among all people in the sample. Those adults with the worst deficiency had a 40-percent higher risk of death from cardiac illness, suggesting vitamin D may be a modifiable, independent risk factor for heart disease.

When researchers adjusted the statistics to look at race, blacks had a 38-percent higher risk of death than Caucasians. However, the risk of death was reduced as vitamin D levels rose. 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.

Most of the bodys 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.