Current practice may over-diagnose vitamin D deficiency

The current "gold standard" test for measuring vitamin D status may not accurately diagnose vitamin D deficiency in black individuals. In an article in the Nov. 21 New England Journal of Medicine, a team of researchers report finding that genetic differences in a vitamin D carrier protein referred to as D-binding protein may explain the discrepancy between the prevalence of diagnosed vitamin D deficiency in black Americans – based on measuring the molecule 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) – and a lack of the usual symptoms of vitamin deficiency.