CVK
Ah… the race absurdity continues in the health field. Last week Jen posted about the article in The Economist on the use of race in medicine. According to The Washington Post, the hot new thing is race-based vitamins!

The GenSpec brand of dietary supplements, proclaimed to be the “first genetically specific product line,” aims distinct products at blacks, whites and Hispanics, and at men and women within each group.

GenSpec’s multivitamins for African American and Hispanic males and females, for instance, contain higher amounts of vitamin D because, the Florida-based maker of the products says, the skin of darker-toned people doesn’t make as much vitamin D from the sun as that of lighter-skinned people.

Unique “physiological and metabolic differences” can make certain groups more likely to develop some diseases, said Joseph Lander, president and founder of GenSpec. The small company, which also sells race-targeted weight-loss pills, bases its products on research into key racial health distinctions, Lander said. The company plans to start selling an Asian multivitamin in the next month.

Oooo but which multivitamin should I take? The Asian one or the white one? Or both? Gimme a break. This is such a lame marketing gimmick. Also, it cracks me up that their tagline is “equal opportunity vitamins and supplements.” Finally a company has come along to level the playing field in the vitamin market! LOL!