Letter by Mascitelli et al Regarding Ethnic Differences in Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Between UK Children of Black African-Caribbeans and White Europeans

Abstract

To the Editor: Whincup et al1 reported that carotid intima-media thickness levels were higher in black African-Caribbean children than in white European children at the end of the first decade of life. The difference was not explained by conventional cardiovascular risk markers. We suggest that hypovitaminosis D might in part explain this association. The classical role of vitamin D is to regulate calcium homeostasis. However, it has become clear that the extraskeletal health benefits of vitamin D are numerous. Vitamin D receptors have a broad distribution that includes vascular smooth cells, macrophages, and lymphocytes. Directly or indirectly, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (the biologically active form of vitamin D) regulates …