Vitamin D essential for African Americans

Supplementation with vitamin D3 may be particularly beneficial for overweight African-American adults, a population at increased risk for both CVD and Vitamin D deficiency, by improving the health and function of vascular endothelial cells. The study will be presented at the Experimental Biology 2011 in Washington, DC.

African-Americans have a greater risk of developing Vitamin D deficiency: The pigmentation in their skin inhibits their skin cells' ability to produce Vitamin D in response to exposure to sunlight. The treatment group received 60,000 IU of Vitamin D in a single dose every 4 weeks for 16 weeks. Given the time it takes the body to clear Vitamin D, a dose of 60,000 IU equals about 2,000 IU a day. The placebo group received dummy pills. After 16 weeks, the researchers measured the participants' flow-mediated dilation again and found that flow-mediated dilation had improved in the treatment group, but not in the placebo group.