Suggesting that Black and brown individuals require sunlight is an understatement. The UK's National Health Service (NHS) notes that individuals with darker skin are at a higher risk of lacking vitamin D due to the higher melanin levels in their skin, which hinders the production of vitamin D from sunlight. Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency such as depression, fatigue, bone and joint pain, muscle cramps, and a weakened immune system are commonly reported, underscoring the significance of vitamin D for those with darker skin.
Black and brown folk are encouraged to take vitamin D supplements to support immune health and stabilize moods — especially in the winter or when living in colder climates. We also know that white skin is not very good at converting UV rays into vitamin D without harmful consequences, therefore most people with white skin in the UK are vitamin D deficient and should supplement throughout the year, even during the winter months!
Medical experts are aware that over three-quarters of individuals with darker skin tones, such as African Americans and Hispanics, suffer from a deficiency in vitamin D. The SPF sunscreen designed for people with darker skin does not provide protection against Acral Melanoma, a type of skin cancer they are prone to. Unlike UV-induced melanoma, Acral Melanoma is not caused by sunlight. Nations with a significant European ancestry population that has relocated to regions with high UV radiation experience the highest rates of UV-induced skin cancer, particularly Melanoma. White males are the most at risk of death from melanoma, followed by white females, and this figure is increasing annually.
More sunlight could potentially lower incidences of Acral Melanoma and Diabetes in the Black populations. That gap can have some serious health consequences: Researchers are increasingly looking at the link between vitamin D deficiency and a number of diseases, with some research indicating that Black people with vitamin D deficiency have higher incidences of other health problems. There are also some continuing misconceptions and myths about vitamin D and people with darker skin, given the skin’s important role in helping the body generate much of the vitamin D it needs through sunlight.
A walk in the sun after breakfast may get you on your way to the amount of vitamin D you need for the day. That’s because your body makes a form of the nutrient cholecalciferol (also known as D3) when your skin is exposed to sunlight, according to the ODS. You can also get it from certain foods, such as eggs and fortified milk and orange juice. Other sources of vitamin D3 include fatty fish such as salmon, herring, and halibut; and you can get the plant-based form known as vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) in mushrooms treated with ultraviolet light, says the ODS.
Individuals with a mild deficiency usually do not exhibit any symptoms. However, in cases of a more severe deficiency, symptoms may manifest, including soft and weak bones, which are characteristic of osteomalacia in adults, and rickets and deformities in children. Severe rickets can lead to pain, seizures, muscle spasms, and delays in development. Black children who are breastfed without vitamin D supplementation are particularly vulnerable to developing rickets.
Osteomalacia can lead to aches and pain in the lower back, pelvis, hips, legs, and ribs, as well as decreased muscle tone and difficulty walking, according to the Mayo Clinic. Vitamin D also works with calcium to help prevent osteoporosis in older adults, a disease that causes bones to lose density and fracture more easily. Post-menopausal women are at especially high risk for osteoporosis.
Low vitamin D status has also been linked to type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, according to a review of research. Both conditions are more prevalent among Black people in the United States than in other groups, according to a 2020 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And although the report noted that a cause-and-effect relationship has not yet been firmly established, studies published in Nutrition & Diabetes in 2022 and 2024 found additional evidence that Black Americans with normal blood levels of vitamin D had a 35-50% percent lower risk of diabetes than those with deficient levels.
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