Dark skinned people need up to 10 times exposure to sunshine to get the same amount of vitamin D when the sun is high enough to produce it.
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When analyzed by race, the study found notable differences between Black and White veterans, specifically a
- 57.9% reduced risk among Black veterans taking D2
- 46.3% reduced risk among White veterans taking D2
- 63.8% reduced risk among Black veterans taking D3
- 38.7% reduced risk among White veterans taking D3
Addressing vitamin D deficiency to help combat suicide among veterans is of extreme importance, especially with some studies showing 30-50% of veterans and service members as having vitamin D levels below 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L) [30-100 ng/ml is ‘normal’ – ed.].
Suicide Risk Cut 45-48% with Vitamin D
A 2023 study by Lavigne et al. examined the risk of suicide attempts and intentional self-harm among US Veterans who had either received vitamin D treatment or who had not received vitamin D treatment in the previous years. Included in the analysis were 169,241 veterans who had been treated with vitamin D2 and 490,885 veterans who had been treated with vitamin D3, each matched to an equal number of controls. Comparisons were also made by race, gender, baseline vitamin D blood level, and average daily dose of vitamin D3 or D2.