FISH DIET.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 97, 5 February 1936, Page 6

FISH DIET.

VALUE AS GOITRE PREVENTIVE. DEFICIENCIES IN FOOD. (Per Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. That if New Zealanders, and the people of Canterbury in particular, included as much fish in their diet as the average family in England, goitre would he far less prevalent, was suggested by Dr. J. Guthrie at the opening of the annual conference of the New Zealand branch of the Royal Sanitary Institute last evening. His remarks followed an address by Dr. R. O. Page on “The Role of Chemistry in its Relation to Health.” In illustrating the effects of certain chemical deficiencies on health, Dr. Page referred to the general occurrence of goitre in Christchurch. This showed the importance to health of minute amounts of iodine, the absence of which in Christchurch caused in many persons malfunctioning of the thyroid gland. It was found, that the administration of iodine was useful in preventing the development of goitre, but less effective in curing it. Unfortunately there was no general agreement about the best way of administering tlie small doses of iodine required, although one that was favoured was an admixture of very small quantities of potassium iodine in common salt. lodine deficiency was a predisposing cause of goitre, although not the only cause, said Dr. Guthrie. Otherwise everybody in Canterbury would suffer from goitre, to which women wero more susceptible than men for physiological reasons.

But tho reason for iodine deficiency in Canterbury was mainly geological. The entire plains were made up of alluvial deposits swept from tho ancient chain of mountains into the sea, and hold back by tho buttress of Banks Peninsula. Tho soil had boon watercarried, washed first of all by riveis, and later by the sea. lodine salts wcie readily soluble, and were quickly mashed out of the soil, ultimately reaching tho sea. Everything from tho sea was rich in iodine, and in fact the sea and -seaweed had long been the normal sources of supply of this chemical. One method Now Zealanders could adopt to combat goitre was to have' the same element of fish in their diets as the people of England had. It true that there were not in New' Zealand the same facilities for obtaining fish as there were in England, and there wore some factors which kept up the price of fish, while in addition the fish did not seem to be as good. Even in tho very middle of the United States refrigerated carriage had been so developed that fish was a readily obtainable food; but in New Zealand, outside tho coastal towns, it seemed hardly possible to obtain fish at all. “There is another point worth thiivkj„o - about,” said Dr. Guthrie in conclusion. “Tho Maoris were almost exempt front goitre. Why?”