Private MD News

Could Kevin Wade have been vitamin D deficient?

Category: General Wellness

On Sunday, Mar. 31, Kevin Ware, a sophomore at the University of Louisville and a guard on the basketball team, experienced a horrific injury when he fractured his tibia during a basketball game. Most news sources described the event as a "freak accident" and talked about how rare it is for such an injury to occur. However, a recent article published by Forbes magazine suggests that perhaps Ware could have been spared from experiencing this problem if he had been getting enough vitamin D and taking blood tests to make sure he had adequate levels of the nutrient.

The news source cited an article published by ABC News which quoted Tim Hewett, director of sports medicine research at Ohio State University, who said that Ware's diet may have been deficient in vitamin D and calcium, leading to more porous bones. That mixed with the constant pressure Ware put on his joints as an athlete may have created small stress fractures that eventually spread or became worse.

A widespread disparity
Forbes explained that vitamin D deficiency is common among African-Americans. The news source said that while it's not quite known what Wade's habits were prior to his accident, research has shown that most American adults have diets that are vitamin D deficient. Since Wade takes classes and plays an indoor sport, the chances are he spent a lot of time inside during the winter months. Vitamin D is produced in the body when people are exposed to sunlight, which is why many people don't get enough during the winter.

Tough to get
According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin D promotes calcium absorption, which is an essential part of healthy bones. Exposure to sunlight is by far the best way for people to get proper levels of this nutrient in their body, but when that isn't always possible, people can get it from food or supplements. For example, fortified milk and cereal often contain vitamin D, as does swordfish, salmon, tuna and cod liver oil. However, these foods only contain very small amounts of this nutrient, which is why people may want to take supplements.

Finally, individuals should get regular lab tests to check their vitamin D levels and make sure that they are getting enough to keep their bones strong, before they find themselves experiencing the pain of a broken or fractured leg.