One size doesn't fit all for vitamin D and men

Northwestern University ^ | September 20, 2011 | Unknown

[decimon]

African-American men in northern regions especially need high doses of supplements

CHICAGO --- African-American men living in areas with low sunlight are up to 3 ½ times more likely to have Vitamin D deficiency than Caucasian men and should take high levels of Vitamin D supplements, according to a new study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"This study shows that the current one-size fits all recommendations for 600 International Units (IU) of Vitamin D don't work," said Adam Murphy, M.D., a clinical instructor in urology at Northwestern's Feinberg School. "Skin color and sunlight exposure need to be considered for recommended daily allowances of Vitamin D."

Vitamin D deficiency causes brittle bones and has been linked to such diseases as prostate cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

African-American men have lower levels of Vitamin D because the increased melanin in darker skin blocks the ultraviolet rays necessary for the body to produce the vitamin, Murphy said. Thus, African-American men require up to six times more sun exposure than Caucasian men to make adequate Vitamin D levels.

"It takes a dark-skinned male like myself 90 minutes three times a week to absorb enough sunlight to produce the recommended amount of Vitamin D compared to just 15 minutes three times a week for a Caucasian male," said the Chicago-based Murphy, who also is a physician at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

African-American men living in Chicago would need to take nearly 2,500 IU's of Vitamin D to reach normal, healthy levels, Murphy said.

Murphy, who presented the research at the American Association of Cancer Researchers Health Disparities Conference in Washington, D.C., collaborated on the study with Rick Kittles, associate professor of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation department of urology.

The Institute of Medicine recommends adults and children take 600 International IUs of Vitamin D daily, but Murphy says that's way too low.

All men living in the northern third of the country "from Northern California all the way to Virginia" need to increase their Vitamin D supplementation, Murphy said. But the amount likely varies by region because Chicago residents, for example, aren't outdoors as much as those who live in Washington or California.

For the study, blood samples were collected from 492 men ages 40 to 79 from three Chicago urology clinics along with demographic and medical information such as body mass index, skin melanin content, sunlight exposure and Vitamin D intake. In the study, 63 percent of African-American men were Vitamin D deficient compared to 18 percent of Caucasian men using the Institute of Medicine minimum recommendation of 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) of Vitamin D. African-American heritage, a high body mass index and lack of Vitamin D supplementation all were associated with Vitamin D deficiency.

Using the commonly used 30 ng/ml deficiency cutoff, 93 percent of African-American men were deficient in Vitamin D compared to 69.7 percent of Caucasian men.

Researchers found African-American men had an average of 17.2 ng/ml of Vitamin D in their blood serum, which is below the Institute of Medicine minimum recommendation. "When Vitamin D levels in the bloodstream are less than 20 ng/ml the bone starts to become brittle in adults and in kids it causes rickets," Murphy said.

Caucasian men had an average level of 24.2 units of Vitamin D in their blood.

###

A future study will look at Vitamin D levels in Hispanic and Asian men.

The study was funded by the United States Department of Defense and the National Cancer Institute.

[bert]

-——I wouldn’t make recommendations——

I know, I am seeking testimony and actual experience for reference.

I have been careful to provide info rather than specific recommendation.

For the record, In August I went for my biannual bout of lab tests. My physician is part of a large medical group. At the checkout counter they had a display with several supplements packaged in their own brand. One was Vitamin d3 in 1500 IU gelcaps. It has not been there before.

For them to go to the trouble to buy it under their own name for resale to patients is telling.

[USS Alaska]

African-American men living in areas with low sunlight are up to 3 ½ times more likely to have Vitamin D deficiency than Caucasian men and should take high levels of Vitamin D supplements,

[poobear]

You are very welcome.

After a lot of research, vitamin D has been highly unrecognized as a healing and necessary regiment of good health. Fifteen minutes of sun for this Caucasian doesn’t hurt either. In Florida it’s easy. Glad this research is getting some print.

Keep up the good posts!

poobear

[blam]

I am a Caucasian (click on my name to see my picture) and Norweigen by way of Ireland. (I had my DNA checked)

My doctor presently has me on 50,000 IU of vitamin D a week.

FYI, here is the way I'm prescribed to take the pills:

* Cholecalciferol (Vit D3) 400 IU tab (Take two tablets by mouth daily)

* Ergocalciferol (Vit D2) 50,000 IU cap (Take two capsules by mouth every week)

[I Drive Too Fast]

I take one D3 pill daily.
Kirkland Signature™
Vitamin D3 2000 IU
600 Softgels

I buy mine at Costco. The current website price is $12.49 (for 600 pills). Before I started taking it, I would get sick a lot more and usually burn if out in the sun too long. Now, I rarely get sick and can stay out in the sun as long as I want. I no longer suffer from sunburn. If I do turn red; which is rare, I just tan with no pain or peeling.

[Georgia Girl 2]

We take 4,000 units per day and have not had a sniffle in a year.

[Bulwyf]

what does a unit consist of?

[fini]

What you are saying makes sense. How do I determine what mix I need to take?

[denydenydeny]

It is amazing to me that the role of Vitamin D in human evolution (in particular the origin of racial differences) is still controversial in some places.

[Georgia Girl 2]

“What does a unit consist of?”

I don’t know. We buy the ones that are 2,000 units for each softgel. We take two per day.

[redhead]

Living in Alaska, I have learned that people who must cover most of their skin year-round, suffer a light-deprived environment for half the year, and don’t have an opportunity to tan can be profoundly depressed by February. Cod liver oil and VitD3 supplements daily alleviate this problem in almost magical ways. I remember as a child growing up in Douglas (across the Channel from Juneau) having to take cod liver oil in a spoon. It was awful tasting, but it prevented rickets and depression. Nowadays, the capsules make getting my daily dose a positive experience. But, Mom was RIGHT.

[redhead]

"I guess I’d better get the older kids tanked up on vitamin D. All day in school and all afternoon playing video games doesn’t leave them much time for a sunlight-based D infusion."

don't leave out the little guys. You can give them liquid vitamins with extra D and prevent rickets and eye problems, and cod liver oil also comes in flavored emulsions that are easy to take for people who can't swallow pills or capsules.

[redhead]

"The question arose however, what about kids? She says young kids need chewy stuff and don’t do well with gel caps. She says her 5 yo is probably ok because his daily supplement has some. I doubt the jellies he takes actually has enough. Being the vector for bringing home everything at school, he is the most important one to be protected. Thoughts, experiences? How much and what kind?"

the D3 caps are tiny, about 1/4" in length, and contain 2000 IU. There is also a citrus-flavored liquid emulsion that is easy to take. Here is a Link to one of the most authoritative sources of information on Vitamin D. I am a real missionary about Cod Liver Oil, so please excuse my enthusiasm for the topic. (blush...)

[ponygirl]

I'm not a doctor, so I would suggest doing some research and talk to your doc and focus on supplementation for whatever issues you might be having. You can also have your levels of D, calcium, iron, etc. checked out with lab work. I have actually run into doctors who roll their eyes when asked about vitamins, telling me it's a waste of money. If that's the case, you're either on your own or looking for a new doc.

What I did for myself was lay out a foundation. Asked my doc for a recommendation for a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. Then I added a high quality Omega oil supplement. These oils are so important! I had so much trouble with hypoglycemia until I started taking oils 3 times a day... now I don't have to snack between meals because my blood sugar is stable. Next is Vitamin C (The cheapest way to take C is using the crystals that dissolve in water or juice. The taste is tart and tangy.) That's my base. If I were limited to just three, those would be the ones I would pick.

Most multis don't contain enough calcium and magnesium, so I add extra... these are vital for detoxification. They work together best in a 2:1 ratio, ie, 1000 mg calcium, 500 mg magnesium. You can find them packaged together. I have read that the citrate is supposed to be easiest for the body to assimilate, but don't know if that's true..

Then I add antioxidants such as D3, E and B-complex and I supplement with additional B-12 in a sublingual.

After that I add the exotics on an as-needed basis. Stuff like aminos, anti-inflammatories... people who take statins should take a Co Q-10 supplement. Stuff like that. You could go on and on until you're taking enough vitamins to choke a mule.

[bert]

Ahh yes........ back to basics. Thanks