Influenza--caused by Vitamin D deficiency?

[George Mounce]

I'm word mincing with how you titled this thread Garrett.

This statement assumes all black people have a Vitamin D deficiency. I would argue this isn't the case. With the amount of Vitamin D that is pumped into even cheap milk, and milk is a very common beverage in all public schools I've visited, I fail to see how the African American population as a whole is suffering from a huge Vit D deficiency.

This would also assume all people who never get out in the sun every also suffer from this deficiency.

Did you read this sentence? Horrid place to do a study:

Furthermore, my patients come directly from prison or jail, where they get little opportunity for sun exposure.

It doesn't take someone smart to figure out that is a biased study right there.

Don't get me wrong, people with poor diets will have poor immune systems. But this article suffers in some places.

[Garrett Smith]

It was only a summary article. I tried using the link to get the whole article, but the PDF version was nowhere to be found.

One might argue that prison or jail is a good place to do studies, in that it is potentially much more "controlled" than many other studies in many ways, not that I'm advising it.

Then again, there may also be more corroborating evidence, if that's what you are looking for:
Vitamin D and African Americans

Vitamin D acquisition. Parent vitamin D is obtained from sun exposure and diet and is converted in the liver to 25(OH)D, the primary storage form of the vitamin and the best clinical indicator of vitamin D status. Optimal blood levels of 25(OH)D with respect to skeletal health are a matter of current debate, but are likely to be in the range of at least 75–80 nmol/L (1,2). However, regardless of how vitamin D insufficiency is defined, it is far more prevalent among blacks than whites (3–5). For example, data from NHANES III show that, in the southern states, 53%–76% of non-Hispanic blacks (depending on sex and age) compared with 8%–33% of non-Hispanic whites had 25(OH)D concentrations below 50 nmol/L in the winter (4). The lower 25(OH)D of blacks and other groups with dark skin results primarily from the fact that pigmentation reduces vitamin D production in the skin. Individuals with dark skin can produce high 25(OH)D levels given sufficient UV exposure (6) but, under normal conditions at most latitudes in North America, even young, healthy blacks do not achieve optimal 25(OH)D concentrations at any time of year. This is illustrated by a study in young black and white Boston women measured four times over the period of 1 y (Fig. 1). The black women had much lower 25(OH)D levels all year long and smaller increases in 25(OH)D between winter and summer (5).

There's quite a bit more on PubMed about the relationship of skin color to general vitamin D status.

[Steven Low]

Another interesting post on Vit D on conditioningresearch:

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot...vitamin-d.html

[Bo Bolund]

I take Superior Source Vitamin D3 10.000 IU every day.

It amazes me how long it has taken science to rediscover vitamin d.
Probably due to the liberal vitamin d supplementation in food in the early 19th century causing severe intoxications. It's a tricky vitamin to optimally supplement in food since maximal dose is not far from toxic dose.

[Garrett Smith]

Bo,
Are you testing your levels to find out if you need quite that much?

[Bo Bolund]

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

Bo,
Are you testing your levels to find out if you need quite that much?

I'm not testing my levels since it has been shown it takes at least 40 000 units long-term supplementation to cause intoxication and 10.000 units is made endogenously after 20 minutes of complete body summer sun exposure. I'm taking maximal dose during september-may because I find it helpful in clearing brain fog. I rarely get any sun during this season and I live on the 59th parallell so even if I did get sun exposure it would not be sufficient.

[Garrett Smith]

Cool, as long as you're comfortable with it.

I want to get my levels tested. I think I need more than the average Joe.