title: The uncertain significance of low vitamin D levels in African descent populations: a review of the bone and cardiometabolic literature.
abstract: Vitamin D levels in people of African descent are often described as inadequate or deficient. Whether low vitamin D levels in people of African descent lead to compromised bone or cardiometabolic health is unknown. Clarity on this issue is essential because if clinically significant vitamin D deficiency is present, vitamin D supplementation is necessary. However, if vitamin D is metabolically sufficient, vitamin D supplementation could be wasteful of scarce resources and even harmful. In this review vitamin D physiology is described with a focus on issues specific to populations of African descent such as the influence of melanin on endogenous vitamin D production and lactose intolerance on the willingness of people to ingest vitamin D fortified foods. Then data on the relationship of vitamin D to bone and cardiometabolic health in people of African descent are evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Michelle Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Caroline K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Thoreson
authors.forename: Natalie L M
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Ramsey
authors.forename: Madia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricks
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Sumner
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D044383:Black People; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D001741:Black or African American
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: African Diaspora; African-Americans; Africans; BMD; FDA; Federal Drug Administration; IOM; Institute of Medicine; Lactose Intolerance; Melanin; NHANES; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; PTH; UVB; VDR; Vitamin D; WHI-OS; Women's Health Initiative–Observational Study; bone mineral density; parathyroid hormone; ultraviolet B; vitamin D receptor