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Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic – why the health differences ?

May 30, 2020

I maintain that there is very strong evidence that:

lower Vitamin D blood levels account for the many health differences between BAME people and others

In order to understand the importance of Vitamin D you need to accept these 2 key statements as facts:

If your blood level of Vitamin D is less than 100 nmol/L then you are liable to suffer from some of 88 different health conditions.
Vitamin D is made in your body from sunlight or supplements and very little can be obtained from food

Most doctors have wrongly been taught that only a very low level of Vitamin D is required, and that this is only to avoid problems with bones and muscles.

If you persist with this belief, then you will probably reject all the assertions and evidence that higher levels are needed for better health.

The UK definition of Vitamin D Deficiency is WRONG

The SACN report of 2016 about Vitamin D was a disgrace, as the definition of Vitamin D Deficiency was set at 25 nmol/L at the beginning of their study by mandate from the Department of Health,

probably to save money.

What blood level should you aim for ?

UK Department of Health: Vitamin D Deficiency is when 25(OH)D is less than 25 nmol/L
USA Institute of Medicine: Vitamin D Deficiency is when 25(OH)D is less than 50 nmol/L
There are biomarkers for bone quality that change just above 75 nmol/L
Professor Robert Heaney, who was a world expert in Osteoporosis, said that Vitamin D

“enables the body to absorb calcium” and that the level should be set at 100 nmol/L

Dr John Cannell says there is “extreme substrate deprivation” below 125 nmol/L
Professor Bruce Hollis says that pregnant women should have at least 125 nmol/L
A group of 40 eminent experts at grassrootshealth.net have issued a

“Call-To-D*Action” calling for optimum blood serum levels to be between 100-150 nmol/L.

So, choose your expert and set your own target blood levels !

But please see this Call-To-D*Action

I organised some medical conferences about Vitamin D in 2011 and here is the link to the video of my overview talk where I show the levels in the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udAct_Dvb4A ( First 3 minutes only )

I refer to a study of white people born in 1958 where the average level in the UK is 35 nmol/L in Winter and 70 nmol/L at the end of summer

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/85/3/860/4633120

I wonder – what is the typical level of Vitamin D in people with dark skin ?

Here is a study of the effects on this 1958 cohort of Vitamin D on Inflammation and Glucose

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0010801

There is good evidence that a high level of Vitamin D helps to prevent or treat more than 88 health conditions.

See: www.is.gd/proofvitd

There is good evidence that people with dark skin have lower blood levels of Vitamin D than people with light skin

– and that when their levels are equalised then their health outcomes become similar.

See: www.is.gd/BlackHealth

If you live further away from the equator than 30° north or south than you cannot make enough Vitamin D from the sun all year round

– and in your winter you will need to find another light source of UV-B or take Vitamin D supplements

Here is a delightful TED talk by Professor Nina Jablonski about the effect of health and skin colour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSPNVunyFQ ( 15 minutes )

Many people who live an outdoor life near the equator, like African Maasai warriors or Hawaii lifeguards, have blood levels of 100-150 nmol/L. An American doctor who walks on a Florida beach without a shirt every day has a Vitamin D level of 117 nmol/L

Vitamin D3 helps to boost your immune system as it is a powerful steroid hormone that controls 2700+ genes and helps to prevents infection

Learn more about Vitamin D here:

https://vitamindwiki.com/

Learn more about optimum blood levels of Vitamin D here:

https://www.grassrootshealth.net/

Learn more about how much Vitamin D you need here:

https://www.greenvits.eu/blogs/b/31767747-how-much-vitamin-d-do-i-need

Now that you know more about higher blood levels of Vitamin D – what does this data tell you ?

Commentary here: https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/first-data-published-covid-19-severity-vitamin-d-levels/