Vitamin D deficiency in African Americans.

This petition addresses the epidemic in America of vitamin D deficiency among African Americans and other non-white racial groups caused by having dark skin pigmentation and living in America and Europe's northern climate where sunlight is weaker.

Vitamin D is produced in human skin when exposed to sunlight. Since African Americans and other non-white racial groups have more pigment or melanin in their skin they need much more sun exposure than European Americans to produce adequate levels of vitamin D for normal body and brain function.

Unfortunately few people spend enough time outdoors anymore to get adequate vitamin D from sunlight.....we're just not hunting, gathering and farming much anymore!

97% of African Americans in the U.S. and 90% of Mexican Americans are known to be vitamin D deficient....many are severely vitamin D deficient.

Vitamin D deficiency causes or is linked to a wide variety of diseases such as high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, seasonal affective disorder, peripheral artery disease, cognitive impairment (poor brain function) such as foggy brain and memory loss including several autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes.....vitamin D deficiency also linked to Parkinson's disease.

Also caused by vitamin D deficiency is Rickets (bone weakness and deformity in children), Osteomalacia (bone thinning in adults), and osteoporosis (loss of bone density in adults/elderly).

Many of these diseases are known to have a much higher occurance in African and Mexican Americans, this is now thought to be linked to vitamin D deficiency in these populations and even to a significant extent in European Americans.

This petition calls for the federal and state government of the U.S. and the World Health Organization to implement better education in our schools among African American, Latino, Muslim girls/women who wear burkas and veils which block sunlight and also other darker skinned racial groups of the dangers of vitamin D deficiency and how to cure it.....get out in the sun more!

For further info on this subject go to:

http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/002688.htlm

We the undersigned support the sentiments of this author,