Minority groups, especially African Americans, have a greater chance of dying from strokes and heart attacks than people with pale skin. Possible explanations for this disparity include less access to treatment, less aggressive treatment and greater stress from economic and social factors.
Now researchers may have found another possible explanation. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to a higher-than-average likelihood of cardiovascular complications, and dark skinned people often have low levels of vitamin D. In the study, those with the lowest vitamin D levels were 40 percent more likely to die over the next 12 years compared to people with the highest vitamin D levels. Scientists don’t know whether vitamin D supplements would make a difference.
