Vitamin D Deficiency Link Found Between African-Americans and Multiple Sclerosis
A new study by scientists has found that African-Americans with multiple sclerosis tend to have lower Vitamin D levels than people without the disease.
Those results come from Dr. Ari Green who began a national study 10 years ago to discover determining factors in the disease among the African-American population.
To conduct their finding 339 patients with MS and 342 patients without the disease were tracked. The study found that those with MS were more likely to have lower levels of Vitamin D than those without (77% to 71%).
It was also noted in the study by Dr. Bruce Cree that even though Causcasians tend to get the disease more often, they suffer less than African-Americans who also contract the disease.
According to the Eureka Science News Alert:
Multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease that affects the brain and the spinal cord, is an auto-immune disorder that causes myelin sheath damage, an important substance that protects nerve cells in the central nervous system. The nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord are subsequently disrupted or impaired. Resulting physical symptoms of those with MS are fatigue, memory impairment, and debilitating muscular movement.
The study used a small percentage of affected African-Americans (6%) however a better understanding of the effects Vitamin D has on their bodies compared to Caucasian sufferers of the disease could go a very long way in the treatment of MS.
Tags : MS, multiple sclerosis, Neurological Disease, vitamin D
Posted: May 30, 2011
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May 31, 2011
Isn't it time for a Vitamin D Public Health Policy?
Milton Hare says:
May 31, 2011 at 12:38 AM.
Isn't it time for a public health policy that guarantees that African Americans and other darker-skinned populations are automatically screened for Vitamin D deficiency in all treatment settings? Here's the truth of the matter: Widespread administration of Vitamin D3 to African-American communities would increase their lifespan by five to six years. That's 150 million years of life extension in the US alone. Morbidity associated with autoimmune disease – diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, asthma – would all diminish. So would cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia and osteoporosis. The literature is all there. Why doesn't someone just do it? Take ten primarily African-American zip codes around the US and mail each household a thousand 2000 mg vitamin D3 pills once annually and watch the hospitalization and death rates plummet. Obama's healthcare plan would work just fine. Doctors could concentrate on preventive medicine and the pharmaceutical industry would just have to — deal with a precipitous drop in demand for their medications. Preach it! Yeah! Mm-hmm! So why aren't they giving it. Do they just not like us darker-skinned people?
May 31, 2011
Wow! You sound like a very intelligent man. I haven't heard such a truthful comment about this topic in awhile. I agree that African-Americans and lighter skinned people too should be tested for Vitamin D deficiency. I am African-American and believe it or not I take 10,000 units of D every day. At Kaiser Permanente Health in California, which I belong to, any patient who asks can get tested. I have been tested twice and I am in the normal range. My health is very good. I think everyone should take around 5,000 units of Vitamin D each and every day.
May 31, 2011
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