Trans fats make up an estimated 2 to 3 percent of total calories in the U.S. diet. And most of that comes from partially hydrogenated oils in margarines, shortening in baked goods, and restaurant-fried foods. New findings suggest that African American women living in the northern latitudes may benefit from increasing their vitamin D intake. The vitamin is essential for absorbing calcium and thus is integral to strong bones. The African Americans also had smaller increases in circulating vitamin D during summer.
Sunlight stimulates skin to make the vitamin, but pigmented skin makes less.
In the winter when vitamin D levels are lowest, an important hormone called parathyroid hormone was elevated only in the African American women. This hormone signals that blood calcium is low, and it can stimulate loss of calcium from the bones. The African American women got nearly as much vitamin D and calcium from food and supplements as the white women. Apparently, African American women living in northern latitudes don't manufacture enough vitamin D during the summer to carry them through the winter months, the researchers concluded. The survey, which covered 36 counties in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, also showed that leaders in all three states think residents eat too many high-fat foods.