Are you getting enough vitamin D?:
The research, which is awaiting publication in a medical journal, found that 100 per cent of those of African origin were short of vitamin D, as were 93 per cent of South Asians (those of Indian or Pakistani origin), and 85 per cent of East Asians (those of Chinese, Indochinese or Filipino origin, among other countries).
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Insufficient vitamin D amounts were also found among those of European ancestry, but were less widespread, at 34 per cent of those surveyed.
This is in Canada, very far north. That being said, if 93 percent of South Asians in Canada have Vitamin D deficiency I doubt it is that much lower in the United States, we aren’t that far south. Additionally, a greater proportion of Canadian South Asians are light skinned Punjabis, while more American South Asians are darker skinned Gujaratis. My doctor had me tested because she knew I didn’t drink milk, and her own olive skin had resulted in her having a deficiency. As for as other groups, blacks and East Asians are generally not lactose tolerant, so it is more likely that these groups won’t be drinking fortified milk. That’s a problem.
Why should you care? There are probably some long term consequences in terms of chronic diseases of old age, but the biggest issue is probably it makes you more susceptible to flu and other low grade ailments. It’s a quality of life issue.
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