Circulating vitamin D concentrations differ by skin color: Individuals with darker skin produce less vitamin D with the same amount of sunlight exposure than individuals with lighter skin color [10,12].
Summary. The natural selection hypothesis suggests that lighter skin colour evolved to optimise vitamin D production. Some authors question if vitamin D deficiency leads to sufficient health problems to act as a selection pressure.
Unadjusted median total 25(OH)D concentration was lower in blacks than in whites [22.0 ng/mL (IQR: 14.0–32.1 ng/mL) compared with 26.8 ng/mL (IQR: 22.0–31.0 ng/mL), respectively; P = 0.011], and a higher proportion of blacks had vitamin D insufficiency (46% compared with 19%, in whites; P < 0.001) (Table 2).
Vitamin D Synthesis: Pale skin can synthesize vitamin D more efficiently in low sunlight conditions. This is particularly beneficial in higher latitudes with less intense sunlight, as it helps maintain bone health and immune function.
African Americans have higher incidence of, and mortality from, many health-related problems than European Americans. They also have a 15 to 20-fold higher prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency.
Skin color: It's more difficult for dark-colored skin to make vitamin D from sunlight than light-colored skin, so people with darker skin are at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency.
People with dark skin, which has less ability to produce vitamin D from the sun. People with conditions that make it difficult to absorb nutrients from food, such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease.
Humans with light skin pigmentation living in low sunlight environments experience increased vitamin D synthesis compared to humans with dark skin pigmentation due to the ability to absorb more sunlight. Almost every part of the human body, including the skeleton, the immune system, and brain requires vitamin D.
How long it takes you to recover depends on how severe your deficiency is. However, it generally takes about 6-8 weeks of supplementation for your vitamin D levels to go back into the normal range.
Vitamin D is one of the best vitamins for skin health and provides anti-ageing properties. The other vitamins that are good for your skin include vitamins C, E, and K. Ensuring you are getting enough vitamins can help keep your skin looking and feeling youthful.
Study: African-Americans Need More Vitamin D
Higher levels of Vitamin D may be protective against certain diseases, including survival from colorectal cancer.
Because vitamin D is fat soluble, its absorption depends on the gut's ability to absorb dietary fat [4]. Fat malabsorption is associated with medical conditions that include some forms of liver disease, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis [1,63].
There is NO default colour when it comes to human skin colours. The very earliest human ancestors came in a range of skin colours, just like primates do and these skin colours have been retained until today.
Incorporating 1 to 2 bananas into your daily diet is advised by health professionals. When it comes to selecting which fruits in vitamin d will be good, bananas are a reliable choice. Figs ( Anjeer ) : It is often regarded as the heavenly fruit and is recognized to be one of the fruits rich in vitamins D, C, A, and B.
The researchers took into account the amount of clothing and the season of the year. In spring and summer, 25 percent of the body (the hands, face, neck and arms) is exposed to the sun, and in these seasons, about 8 to 10 minutes of sun exposure at noon produces the recommended amount of vitamin D.
“Work in our lab has shown that darkly pigmented skin has far better function, including a better barrier to water loss, stronger cohesion, and better antimicrobial defense, and we began to ponder the possible evolutionary significance of that,” said Peter Elias, MD, professor of dermatology.
Again, on day 6, 25-(OH)-D levels of fair-skinned volunteers increased significantly (median: 11.9-14.3 ng/ml, p < 0.0001), but not in black-skinned people (median: 8.60-9.57 ng/ml, p = 0.375). Conclusion: This study suggests that skin pigmentation negatively influences vitamin D synthesis.
According to a study called “Shades of beauty,” light brown skin tones are often the most physically attractive skin color (Frisby et al., 2006). They used four models for that study. They did not change the skin tone, but they imaged each model to three different skin tones: light, medium, and dark.
Vitamin D insufficiency is more prevalent among African Americans (blacks) than other Americans and, in North America, most young, healthy blacks do not achieve optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations at any time of year.
The best food sources of vitamin D are oily fish, including salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Other sources include egg yolks, red meat, and liver. Vitamin D is added to some foods too, including breakfast cereals, plant milks and fat spreads. Check information on-pack to see if this applies to the products you buy.
Low vitamin D levels (vitamin D deficiency) is a common problem worldwide. Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium and phosphorus from the gut (bowel) and this is essential for healthy bones and for allowing muscles to function properly. Vitamin D deficiency therefore mainly causes problems with bones and muscles.