Nutrition and skeletal health in blacks

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is much more common among African Americans than other American groups, but there is as yet little compelling evidence that improving vitamin D status in this group will have an important benefit on skeletal health. It is possible that some African Americans have adaptive physiologic responses to low vitamin D and calcium intakes that result in better bone acquisition and maintenance. However, for several reasons it would be premature to suggest that vitamin D or calcium requirements are different in this group from others or to suggest that vitamin D deficiency among them carries no increased health risks. Thus, African Americans should aim for the same dietary intakes of calcium and vitamin D and the same blood targets for 25(OH)D as other groups until both the skeletal and nonskeletal benefits to them of correcting vitamin D deficiency have been further explored.