Tyler Perry warns African Americans that low Vitamin D is linked to COVID-19 deaths
Article By Ann Dennis // EEW Magazine Online // Health & Wellness
Research shows a link between low Vitamin D levels and COVID-19 deaths – something media mogul Tyler Perry is warning African Americans about through social media.
While the 50-year-old actor-writer-director and owner of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta made it clear that Vitamin D “is not a cure for COVID-19,” he said his doctors have told him that most African Americans have low Vitamin D.
Perry noted that boosting Vitamin D levels could be helpful because Vitamin D “helps with immune health and respiratory health.”
In a less than three-minute video taken outdoors, the philanthropist, who recently bought groceries for all the senior-hour customers shopping at 44 Kroger locations in Atlanta and 29 Winn Dixie supermarkets in New Orleans, said his dermatologist in LA, Dr. Pearl Grimes, would be “very happy that I’m telling you this.”
Natural sources of Vitamin D include fatty fish, like tuna, mackerel, and salmon. Foods fortified with vitamin D include some dairy products like milk, cheese, and eggs, and also orange juice, soy milk, and cereals.
Perry, who said his own Vitamin D levels are low and always have been, also referenced a study he read “out of Spain, Italy and China,” that said, “A lot of people who died from COVID were low in Vitamin D.”
He added, “I think that, because we are African American people, we are naturally deficient because of the melanin in our skin. It blocks out Vitamin D.”
Another cause of the deficiency, he said, is the fact that, “A lot of us just don’t like to be in the sun, and that’s where Vitamin D comes from. It comes from the sun.”
Perry, part-owner of BET+, a streaming network from Viacom, encouraged his followers to consult their doctors about checking their Vitamin D levels, and he also recommended taking a Vitamin D supplement.
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According to a research-based BBC report, several studies “link low vitamin D levels to a higher risk of respiratory infections and more severe symptoms when they develop.”
Sunshine is an amazing source of Vitamin D. When getting some much-needed rays, remember to wear sunscreen!
Furthermore, immune cells can “actively recognize vitamin D, and it’s thought to play an important role in both the innate and acquired immune response,” the report said.
Perry ended his video message by encouraging diligent self-care in the African American community.
“We as black people, we’ve got to take care of ourselves,” he said.
Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that black COVID-19 patients have made up nearly 20% US coronavirus deaths, though African Americans make up only about 13% of the nation's population.
At the time of reporting, there have been a total of 62,603 Coronavirus deaths and more than 1 million confirmed cases in the US.
