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April 3rd, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) — Most Americans have good
levels of vitamins A and D and folate — a B vitamin — but some groups of
people need to increase their levels of vitamin D and iron, according to a
federal report released Monday.
The study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also
found that rates of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies vary by age, gender
and race/ethnicity, and can be as high as 31 percent for vitamin D
deficiency among blacks.
The study results were based on measurements of vitamins and nutrients
in blood and urine samples collected between 1999 and 2006 from
participants in the CDC‘s National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey.
“These findings are a snapshot of our nation’s overall nutrition
status,” Christopher Portier, director of CDC’s National Center for
Environmental Health, said in an agency news release. “Measurements of
blood and urine levels of these nutrients are critical because they show
us whether the sum of nutrient intakes from foods and vitamin supplements
is too low, too high, or sufficient.”
Lead researcher Christine Pfeiffer said in the release: “Research shows
that good nutrition can help lower people’s risk for many chronic
diseases. For most nutrients, the low deficiency rates, less than 1 to 10
percent, are encouraging, but higher deficiency rates in certain age and
race/ethnic groups are a concern and need additional attention.”
Pfeiffer and her colleagues found that since the fortification of
cereal-grain products with folic acid began in 1998, there has been a
sustained increase in folate levels.
Folate deficiency has dropped to less than 1 percent, and blood folate
levels in all racial/ethnic groups have increased 50 percent.
Folate is a B vitamin found in foods such as leafy green vegetables,
fruits and dried beans and peas. Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate
found in supplements and used to fortify foods, according to the U.S.
National Institutes of Health.
Folate is especially important for women prior to and during pregnancy
and for children during infancy. It can help prevent major birth defects
of the brain and spine, such as spina bifida.
The CDC study found that rates of vitamin D deficiency were 31 percent
among blacks, 12 percent among Mexican Americans and 3 percent among
whites. Vitamin D is essential for good bone health and may also improve
muscle strength and protect against cancer and type 2 diabetes, the
researchers said.
Even though blacks had the highest rate of vitamin D deficiency, they
had greater bone density and fewer fractures than the other groups.
Further research is needed to explain these findings, the researchers
said.
Among the other findings in the study:
- Women aged 20 to 39 had the lowest iodine levels among any age group
of women and their levels were just above iodine insufficiency. Iodine is
an essential component of thyroid hormones that regulate human growth and
development. - Compared to other racial or ethnic groups, iron deficiency was more
common among Mexican American children aged 1 to 5 (11 percent), and among
black and Mexican American women of childbearing age, 16 percent and 13
percent, respectively. - Blood levels of heart-healthy polyunsaturated fatty acid differ by
race/ethnicity.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about vitamins and minerals.
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