Are you getting your recommended daily dose of vitamins? According to GenSpec most of us are not getting the correct vitamins not simply because we don't take them, but because we don't take the right ones for our ethnic group. Yup, that's right, for our ethnic group. Their premise is based around our ethnic groups: African American, Hispanic and Caucasian. So, they did what any good capitalist would do, they started a company to benefit from this. Now, I'm not hating on their hustle and it probably is some truth to it. I for one did and still do buy into the "Eating for your Blood Type" diet (although I'm not disciplined enough to follow it for longer than a day or two). However, what I don't buy into is (ethnic groups are so diverse and mixed) that these three formulas will provide all of what I need because my skin is dark. What happens if someone is 50% black and 50% white? What if that is their mix and their skin is dark should they get African American? What happens if they look Caucasian (and to those of you that do not know this happens it does)? What does my family do since we are Black Hispanics? I guess if you're Asian you shouldn't go to GenSpec because it doesn't seem like they have figured out what to do with you yet.
Well, I'm just going to stick with my Dr. Shultze's SuperFoods and regular old vitamins the two have not let me down yet. Well...except last year when I had the flu and the time before that when I had a cold and when I ... oh, yea...my bad, I stopped taking my vitamins for a year then. Do you think that had anything to do with me being sick? (Oh, a shout out to one of my favorite blogs lightskinneded girl for highlighting this company first. I couldn't pass this one up!)
10 comments:
looks like this company started the trend, that everyone was hating on. . . then turns out they are right! No you cant account for every variable. .. guess they could have called it shades and had a skin tone meter or something, but looks like the point is, the darker your skin, the more you are deficient in things like vitamin D etc.
So, if that is the case where do very light (white skinned) Blacks go? Are they deficient in vitamin D or not?
It has to do with the melanin in the skin. Google African american Vitamin D. . . . The govt. has known about this for years and done nothing. we don't really consume vitamin D in our diets. . . we get it from the sun. The more melanin you have in your skin, it acts like sunscreen and blocks the absorption. When we are kids the lack of vitamin D causes rickets. . . as adults. . . Prostate Cancer. Guess who has the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world!!! African American Men!
I get the whole melanin thing, understand about vitamin D, know about prostate cancer but it still doesn't answer the questions I am asking. Where do people go who can fit into many categories go? Where do the go when they are not defined by one category? When they are multi-racial?
are people more concerned with making the point that there are more than three categories. . . or more concerned with good health? If you understand the point about the melanin, then it seems to me that the prudent thing to do would be pick the one off the shelf that would most closely match your skin tone. Yes people are not defined by one category, so what make Centrum 50+ magical? Should you not take it if you are 49? It seems like you are more concerned about the lack of definitively fitting into a category than just saying yeah. . . somebody out there cares about ethnic health. . . lets learn more and educate ourselves about the larger problem instead of bashing those who are trying to help. My father died of prostate cancer, and you know all they did for him was give him a PSA test. . . guess what it told him he had prostate cancer! IT DID NOTHING TO PREVENT IT!!! I am mad as you know what that nobody told me about Vitamin D and the link to prostate cancer. How many people do you know that had to take castor oil as a child??? I did. . . why for vitamin D to keep rickets away. But as soon as I didn't have to, you bet I never drank it again! My daddy told the same story. . . I wish he would have continued drinking it. . . maybe he would be here today.
I'm not bashing, but this is my opinion and you have yours. And just like anything else...it makes for good conversation no? Probably, more like it probably can't fit everyone in with their categories...now this is more like it. That is why there is Centrum and other vitamins like what I take. It's a choice...it's a vitamin...my choice is a different vitamin for my health. I did say I wasn’t knocking their hustle though even if it doesn’t work for me. Check out this article about the topic: ttp://scienceblogs.com/terrasig/2008/07/racebased_vitamins_no_its_not.php
BTW...I'm sorry to hear about your father.
I had forgotten about the Vitamin D thing. Thanks for the reminder.
GenSpec could have marketed their product differently so as not to alienate people who don't feel they fit into one of the 3 categories. It appears to me they are more concerned with trying to make a buck by using a clever marketing approach.
are we having dinner tonight? call me!! (i know this has nothing to do with the post but i needed to see how my name posts on your blog) :)
Well...at least now I know what's wrong with me. I've been taking the wrong daggon vitamins.
um, time to stop putting off that black in america post :-D
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