TEENAGER WENT BLIND AFTER ONLY EATING FRIES, CHIPS, WHITE BREAD, SAUSAGES AND HAM

[gaze]

the statement about Vitamin A was actually a joke. Of course this anecdotal report is no proof of the relationship between Vitamin A and blindness.
Also kind of strange that he is deficient in Vitamin B12 when he eats pork. I mean unless he has some absorption problems it should not be an issue.
And Vitamin D...I mean half of the population or more is deficient in Vitamin D...
I got this link from Chris Masterjohns Twitteraccount. And he responded to one tweet:
"So you don't think B12 deficiency causes optic neuritis? You don't think vitamin A deficiency causes blindness? Or you just disagree with the lab results that he was B12 deficient? Or you think there is vitamin A in fries?"

in other articles they said he was mainly eating fries pringle’s and white bread with occasional salami, so salami was not a normal addition in his diet.. that’s can easily cause b12 deficiency, along with everything else mentioned of course. also, as ones growing they use b12 much more quickly then an adult, so the tiny tiny amount in salami is nowhere near enough. Also, i can’t possibly imagine a diet worse then fries chips and white bread. pufa and added iron, the two worst things. i feel bad for the kid, parents should be punished for that

 

[Attakai]

A. Sure, if you consider the whole animal. But the article states the boy ate "Sausages and Ham." This database lists no Vitamin A at all for the following sausages and ham-

LOUIS RICH, Turkey Smoked Sausage Nutrition Facts & Calories
Ham, sliced, extra lean Nutrition Facts & Calories

B. No such statement was made in the article. The article lists four vitamins and minerals he was deficient in (B12, D, Copper and Selenium), and the phrasing in the article implies that the boy did indeed have other deficiencies. So, the boy may have tested deficient for Vitamin A or Vitamin A might not have been tested at all. But there is nothing in the article to support the claim "according to the lab tests he was NOT deficient in A."

Here's the actual source quote: " Further investigation found the patient had vitamin B12 deficiency, low copper and selenium levels, a high zinc level, and markedly reduced vitamin D level and bone mineral density"
There is no mention of Vitamin A deficiency.

 

[TeslaFan]

In the studies that Grant cited on his own website, people who saw benefits to Vitamin A depletion ran into vision problems two to three years into the protocol. The problems reversed in a few weeks after Vitamin A was reintroduced to the diet.

And I also assume you are passed the age of puberty, unlike the boy described in the article.

thank you for common sense. Decades of research and relevant data on Vitamin A and eye sight, thousands of researches involved... none of that matters because there's a guy in Canada, by the name of Grant Genereux, and he posted on his blog that Vitamin A is poison. Now we all know. So glad we have him. If you are not convinced, go read the insanely long thread on this forum. By the time you are done with it, you will change your mind, or loose it, whichever happens first. Good luck to all.

 

[yerrag]

What's striking here is that no ophthalmologist was involved. The blood vessels in his eyes can easily be examined and it would provide more answers.

I wonder what all the electrolyte imbalance and deficiency would do. The capillary walls probably have calcified.

I know, you guys are wondering what do opthalmologists know about health, right? I can't blame you for thinking that way, as you are right about that. But that's only because opthalmologists are trained that way, not different from other specialists in conventional medicine. But I'll share with you what Dr. Tom Lewis writes in his book with Dr. Clement Trempe, an ophthalmologist, "Quarterback Your Own Health, 2015":

Also, many systemic (system-wide) chronic diseases show signs and symptoms in the eye. What action should you take? Find an optometrist who specializes in eye pathology (most focus on refraction and the prescription of eye glasses). Ask for and demand the following tests:

• Glaucoma,
• Macular degeneration
• Cataract (nuclear and cortical), and
• Detailed retinal evaluation including retinal nerve fiber layer health (volume and thickness).
• Dry eye
• Any other eye disease that your eye doctor suggests is due to inflammation

The instruments that your eye doctor should use include:

• Slit lamp microscope
• Fundus camera
• Optical coherence tomography

Be forewarned that optometrists (and ophthalmologists) seldom, if ever, interpret eye data in the context of whole body chronic diseases. If you cannot get an interpretation, you might have to resort to reading the AREDS or other studies. Obviously, a better answer is to find a doctor that understands these tests and what to do next. Doctors affiliated with RealHealth Clinics are the only ones qualified at this time...
​

You're only spinning wheels here speculating on Vitamin A and what not. But that's only because you have limited information. If only they can examine the eye first and foremost, and that would give you more information to work with?

And examining the eye isn't for the kid who's already blind, but even for people like us, as the eye is indeed a window to our health. How else can you examine your blood vessel health without having to undergo a biopsy?

 

[tankasnowgod]

Here's the actual source quote: " Further investigation found the patient had vitamin B12 deficiency, low copper and selenium levels, a high zinc level, and markedly reduced vitamin D level and bone mineral density"
There is no mention of Vitamin A deficiency.

My point was that there was no mention of Vitamin A at all in the article, one way or another. You claimed in your original quote that "according to the lab tests he was NOT deficient in A." But there is nothing to suggest that in the article at all. If anything, it hints at the opposite.

You even misquoted the sentence in the article. The full quote is "Tests showed his body was deficient in nutrients including B12, as well as copper, selenium, and vitamin D: which is thought to have caused him to have weak bones." (bolding mine). The word "including" in this context implies that there are more deficiencies that the tests indicated. The writer might have known of several more, but only chose four to illustrate her point.

Also, there is no mention of zinc at all in the article, nor does it mention any level of any nutrient being at a high level, so I'm not quite sure if you are quoting the article posted by the OP.

 

[tankasnowgod]

He had an eye exam and they said they found no abnormalities...if it was VA deficiency you would see xerophthalmia. I could be wrong, but this is a great case against VA being a vitamin from the look of it. He consumes very little VA unless you count the RA in the pork from elementary school to age 17 and no sign of VA deficiency. No mention of night blindness either.

Well, no sign except...

"By the age of 15, his hearing and vision started to fade. An MRI scan revealed he had no structural problems with his ears, while an eye test similarly failed to reveal any structural cause.

His vision continued to deteriorate, and by the age of 17 and doctors discovered the boy had suffered damage to his optic nerve. The teenager had 20/200 vision, meaning he was considered legally blind. "

If he's already considered legally blind, do they really have to mention night blindness to consider VA deficiency?

 

[Attakai]

My point was that there was no mention of Vitamin A at all in the article, one way or another. You claimed in your original quote that "according to the lab tests he was NOT deficient in A." But there is nothing to suggest that in the article at all. If anything, it hints at the opposite.

You even misquoted the sentence in the article. The full quote is "Tests showed his body was deficient in nutrients including B12, as well as copper, selenium, and vitamin D: which is thought to have caused him to have weak bones." (bolding mine). The word "including" in this context implies that there are more deficiencies that the tests indicated. The writer might have known of several more, but only chose four to illustrate her point.

Also, there is no mention of zinc at all in the article, nor does it mention any level of any nutrient being at a high level, so I'm not quite sure if you are quoting the article posted by the OP.

I said the source.

 

[murdoc]

in other articles they said he was mainly eating fries pringle’s and white bread with occasional salami, so salami was not a normal addition in his diet.. that’s can easily cause b12 deficiency, along with everything else mentioned of course. also, as ones growing they use b12 much more quickly then an adult, so the tiny tiny amount in salami is nowhere near enough. Also, i can’t possibly imagine a diet worse then fries chips and white bread. pufa and added iron, the two worst things. i feel bad for the kid, parents should be punished for that

I mean in another article they mentioned that he had high zinc levels, so I guess he ate ham and sausages on a regular basis.
But the Vitamin A content of ham and pork sausages is next to nothing. There is no beta carotin source as well. Again for me a VA deficiency would be much more plausibel than VB12 defiency. But maybe he has higher requirements due to his age.

 

[tankasnowgod]

I said the source.

And yet your source contained nothing at all to back up your original claim. No mention of Vitamin A at all, and certainly nothing to indicate that Vitamin A stores were adequate.

 

[Tarmander]

Well, no sign except...

"By the age of 15, his hearing and vision started to fade. An MRI scan revealed he had no structural problems with his ears, while an eye test similarly failed to reveal any structural cause.

His vision continued to deteriorate, and by the age of 17 and doctors discovered the boy had suffered damage to his optic nerve. The teenager had 20/200 vision, meaning he was considered legally blind. "

If he's already considered legally blind, do they really have to mention night blindness to consider VA deficiency?

Yeah but it didn't look like this:

Vitamin A deficiency has certain very well established symptoms, and they did not mention those symptoms. The guy should have stunted growth, chronic infections, and eyes that look like those above.

You can criticize Grant's stuff and I will be the first to admit there are holes there, but vitamin A being a vitamin is seriously in doubt, and stories like this just back it up. I mean jumping to VA deficiency after hearing someone go blind after what...10 years on this diet of his and still going? That timeline flies in the face of established science on VA. Like others have said, B12 seems more likely and there is evidence of this kind of thing occurring: Optic neuropathy in vitamin B12 deficiency. - PubMed - NCBI

Maybe more information will come out and resolve the speculation.

 

[Attakai]

And yet your source contained nothing at all to back up your original claim. No mention of Vitamin A at all, and certainly nothing to indicate that Vitamin A stores were adequate.

Okay, you are correct that my initial wording was wrong, since they did not specifically say he wasn't Vitamin A Deficient.

Yes, the information provided in the article OP linked is ambiguous on his nutritional deficiencies.

Now the quote I posted is sourced from the actual case examination by Bristol University.

". Further investigation found the patient had vitamin B12 deficiency, low copper and selenium levels, a high zinc level, and markedly reduced vitamin D level and bone mineral density."

Can we agree that the quote is conclusive and not ambiguous?

 

[postman]

In the studies that Grant cited on his own website, people who saw benefits to Vitamin A depletion ran into vision problems two to three years into the protocol. The problems reversed in a few weeks after Vitamin A was reintroduced to the diet.

What studies?

I mean in another article they mentioned that he had high zinc levels, so I guess he ate ham and sausages on a regular basis.
But the Vitamin A content of ham and pork sausages is next to nothing. There is no beta carotin source as well. Again for me a VA deficiency would be much more plausibel than VB12 defiency. But maybe he has higher requirements due to his age.

The article literallyl says it was because of a b12 defiency, all this talk about retinol is pure speculation.

 

[mangoes]

Now the quote I posted is sourced from the actual case examination by Bristol University.

". Further investigation found the patient had vitamin B12 deficiency, low copper and selenium levels, a high zinc level, and markedly reduced vitamin D level and bone mineral density

Do you have access to the full study? I can’t get it through sci-hub for some reason

 

[tankasnowgod]

Okay, you are correct that my initial wording was wrong, since they did not specifically say he wasn't Vitamin A Deficient.

Yes, the information provided in the article OP linked is ambiguous on his nutritional deficiencies.

Now the quote I posted is sourced from the actual case examination by Bristol University.

". Further investigation found the patient had vitamin B12 deficiency, low copper and selenium levels, a high zinc level, and markedly reduced vitamin D level and bone mineral density."

Can we agree that the quote is conclusive and not ambiguous?

The one thing I can agree about the quote is that there is no mention whatsoever about Vitamin A.

For proof of your original claim, I expected a claim along the lines of "serum retinol tested at the lower end of accepted lab range," or better yet, actual data from whatever Vitamin A test they may have performed, and a link to that part of the study. Not an inference from a sentence of the case study where they make no reference to Vitamin A at all.

Since they don't mention Vitamin K2, Testosterone, thyroid, prolactin, magnesium and calcium, should I also just conclude that all those variables were tested and were within normal lab ranges as well?

 

[tankasnowgod]

What studies?

Specifically, I was thinking of this article that Grant cited in his "Obesity" post-

Experimental Induction of Vitamin A Deficiency in Humans

It mentioned VA symptoms coming up anywhere from 2 months to 4 years in the various A depletion experiments and case studies discussed in the article. I think the 2-3 years study was one on inducing VA deficiency in epileptics, but don't know if I found that thru digging into the experiments listed on that article, or if Grant mentioned them somewhere else. Regardless, that article clearly discusses symptoms disappearing during the VA depletion phase, and not re-appearing during the VA repletion phase, suggesting that it may have curative properties, similar to The Ketogenic Diet.

 

[Attakai]

The one thing I can agree about the quote is that there is no mention whatsoever about Vitamin A.

For proof of your original claim, I expected a claim along the lines of "serum retinol tested at the lower end of accepted lab range," or better yet, actual data from whatever Vitamin A test they may have performed, and a link to that part of the study. Not an inference from a sentence of the case study where they make no reference to Vitamin A at all.

Since they don't mention Vitamin K2, Testosterone, thyroid, prolactin, magnesium and calcium, should I also just conclude that all those variables were tested and were within normal lab ranges as well?

Look I already said you are right about the first point, so what purpose is there continuing that discussion?

Medical eye specialists at the Bristol eye hospital did the testing and reported the cause. But you know better than them right.

 

[tankasnowgod]

Look I already said you are right about the first point, so what purpose is there continuing that discussion?

Medical eye specialists at the Bristol eye hospital did the testing and reported the cause. But you know better than them right.

I never said that I knew better than the medical professionals treating him. You are the one drawing a conclusion based on something they didn't include in the report.

 

[Attakai]

I never said that I knew better than the medical professionals treating him. You are the one drawing a conclusion based on something they didn't include in the report.

And what conclusion am I drawing?

 

[mangoes]

Just to let everyone know, he was on TV this morning, and it was vitamin A that was “14x lower than the average” and the cause of his blindness.
@tankasnowgod

 

[tankasnowgod]

Just to let everyone know, he was on TV this morning, and it was vitamin A that was “14x lower than the average” and the cause of his blindness.
@tankasnowgod

Nice. It looks like this was the appearance-



He also mentions having night blindness, FWIW.

Apparently, one of his doctors (Dr. Atan mentioned in the article) also appeared on the same program-



Notice how at 1:40 she mentions that the B12 deficiency should have been a red flag, as if someone is deficient in one vitamin, they are likely to be deficient in others as well.