African Americans, Part 3: Vitamin D and Rickets

Rickets, a deforming, crippling bone disease of infants and young children, is a well-established vitamin D-deficiency disease. Children with adequate levels of vitamin D simply don’t get rickets. Nevertheless, rickets has made a comeback, and between 1990 and 2000 increased by 400% among black children.[1] The reasons:

1. The Powers of Darkness (the POD or sunscare industry) insist that all children be “protected” from sunlight, meaning that the most natural method of vitamin D production—sunlight exposure—is denied to infants, young children and expectant mothers—mothers who must produce sufficient vitamin D to meet their own needs and the needs of both their unborn babies. Sunscreen “protection” reduces vitamin D synthesis in the skin by 99.5%[2]. This is a disaster for black children and expectant mothers who are already vitamin D-deficient.

2. The food that is fortified with vitamin D for mass consumption is milk; however, much of the black population is intolerant to lactose (milk sugar) and cannot drink milk. This intolerance has been known of for decades, and yet the “authorities” continue to fortify a food not conducive to health in black Americans. Was this done purposely? I certainly hope not. It is probably incompetence rather than conspiracy, but it seems too stupid.

3. Black skin can take 6 times longer than white skin to make a given amount of vitamin D.[3] Therefore, to suggest that African Americans avoid the sunlight is criminal. Yet, despite protestations to the contrary by the POD, we have become a nation of indoor dwellers—perhaps the only true cave men that ever existed. This assures that blacks, who already have a very difficult time making vitamin D, are further denied this life-giving hormone.
When these factors combine, they produce the vitamin D deficiencies that lead to rickets—a 100% preventable disease. The POD are responsible for the resurgence of this disease.

Will the Powers of Darkness be overcome by light and truth or will they continue to spread the message that results in death and destruction?

[1] Schwartz, R. Science News Aug 17, 2000.
[2] Matsuoka, L. et al. Sunscreens suppress cutaneous vitamin D3 synthesis. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 1987; 64:1165-68.
[3] Harris, S. et al. Seasonal changes in plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of young American black and white women. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:1232-36.