05/05/2025
Self-care is Mondays off, sitting on my patio, rocking in my chair while enjoying God’s beautiful creation, and soaking up this natural vitamin D from the sun!🙌🏾
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to various mental health issues, and it disproportionately affects Black people due to differences in skin pigmentation, which can reduce the body’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight.
1. Mental Health Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency
* Depression and Mood Disorders: Low vitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and anxiety.
* Cognitive Impairment: Deficiency may contribute to cognitive decline, especially in older adults.
* Sleep Disturbances: Vitamin D plays a role in regulating sleep, and deficiency may lead to insomnia or poor sleep quality.
2. Impact on Black Populations
* Reduced Synthesis from Sunlight: Melanin in darker skin reduces UVB absorption, leading to lower vitamin D production even with similar sun exposure.
* Higher Deficiency Rates: Studies show that Black individuals in northern climates often have significantly lower blood levels of vitamin D.
* Health Disparities: This contributes to broader health disparities, including greater risk of mood disorders, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune issues in Black populations.
Recommendations
* D3 supplements
* Vitamin D Screening
* Sunlight Exposure - Spend Time Outside: Aim for 10–30 minutes of midday sun several times per week, depending on skin tone. Darker skin needs more sun exposure to produce the same amount of vitamin D.
* Eat Vitamin D-Rich Foods - Fatty Fish: Salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, Egg Yolks; Beef Liver, and Fortified Foods: Look for fortified dairy, plant-based milks, cereals, and orange juice.
* Healthy Weight: Vitamin D is fat-soluble and can get stored in fat tissue, making it less available in the bloodstream in cases of obesity.
* Use Cod Liver Oil: A traditional, potent natural supplement high in both vitamin D and vitamin A.
-YourBest