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Vitamin D Deficiency Could Exacerbate Covid-19 Racial Health Disparities
Most Black Americans are low in the essential nutrient, potentially leading to a weakened immune system
It’s undeniable that Black Americans have been hit harder by Covid-19, with disproportionately high infection and death rates. This disparity is largely driven by structural inequities. Employment in essential roles that don’t have the option of working from home increases potential exposure to the virus. High rates of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses — seeded by centuries of systemic racism — raise the risk for severe infection. A legacy of mistreatment by the medical industry results in substandard medical care for Covid-19, even today.
But could there be an under-addressed biological concern as well, one that’s potentially preventable? Evidence is accumulating that low vitamin D can result in more severe cases of Covid-19, and by some estimates, 97% of Black Americans have insufficient levels of this essential nutrient.
In an article for Elemental, Terri Huggins Hart writes, “Human beings get most of their vitamin D from the sun, through a chemical reaction in the skin that produces vitamin D. Black people have higher amounts of melanin in their skin than those with lighter skin…
