Colours Matter

Ethnic minorities are over-represented in the COVID-19 incidence and the severity of the expression of said disease.

There are three basic factors to be considered:

the unique genetic code of the individual,

the unique nutrition of that individual,

the environment in which that individual is required to operate.

Over time, the loss of pigmentation in individuals in lower lux (higher latitudes) gave rise to vitamin D production becoming more effective.

Vitamin D, the ubiquitous vitamin/hormone, plays an extensive role in the promotion/moderation of the inflammatory response. This, coupled with an overexpression of the individual’s inflammatory genetic profile response due to poor nutrition – low in micronutrients and high in macronutrients – leads to excessive cytokine expression. Ultimately, what is unleashed is a cytokine storm with multiple dysfunctions of biological pathways being expressed in the vascular tree, in the lung epithelium, and other organs.

My company has been actively involved with a small cohort Māori population who are generally over-represented in data on vascular disease. We have confidently identified previously unidentified individuals (and especially young people) who have not yet shown evidence of vascular conditions but show increased peripheral arterial resistance, which is known to be part of the genesis of cardiovascular disease.

A range of simple testing and interventions on such individuals (including those who are micronutrient-deficient because of relative poverty) appears to make a significant difference.

Numerous studies show that the RDA for vitamin D and vitamin C are inadequate and that subclinical deficiencies commonly exist.

The vitamin D pathway includes a few steps. There is the conversion of cholesterol from the sun through the skin, and the subsequent use of that vitamin D through the vitamin D receptors (that have within them genetic variations, which furthermore may preclude adequate levels). Also, the active vitamin D is reliant on additional micronutrient cofactors.

This is a good example of how relative poverty – and lack of access to a nutritious diet – predisposes that cohort to an overexpression of the inflammatory response. Add to this inadequate housing and reduced access to decent sanitation; these conditions further exacerbate the perfect storm.