HEALTHY DIET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 31 October 1921, Page 3

HEALTHY DIET

VITAMINS ANT) I'TIKSU FOODS

Air d. (.’. Drummond, Reader in Bmohomssl ry, University ci .London, writes to iho London Times

Since the remarkable discovery was made h v Fro lessor Gowlaud Hop]; ins iu DM If'that minute traoo.s of conaiii unidentified ooiistummts of fresh foods me absolutely o>soiii.jal lor hoaltli thoro has been an emr-inemm-injv interest in those substances, v.-hiot are now generally called vitauans, or accessory fond motors. At the present, lime wo find iliac this interest. has extended beyond sclentitic circles to the man in tho sti'oCi. and ifofjiient reloroncos to iho snlijoeV are to lie eueountcml in the lay Press. L’nl'oi mnaicly, much of the inloriu.ilion which is being given Co tho public in this manner is inaccurate. As an example may la* mentioned a recoin, popular article on vim mi ns which conmined the extraordinary statement, that, modern research had showed that if is impossible lor a young animal ut thrive on a diet ol eggs or indk ; nine, ft is difficult, to know where the author of this article obtained such remari;ahle information, and how ho wooed explain the lacj l/uai uioslt voiino. nuimniaks arc dependent _lor a coilam period of their life on milk done. Misstatements such as '.lds cause much harm ; hup this is not. tho m,K source of danger. I here is always the rid-i that a- discovery of fa r-i caching importance to human Iho w.l! to magni/ji d and distorte d hyvoml reason. Two rocent examples of tins we bar., iu the history ol radium and oi immunity, and only sluwjy, a)lor manj years, is sound seieiilroic opinion coun-ter-acting chose processes aud enabling the subjects to ho viewed mi thoir C Viylit perspective. To-day then* is a swum at t.!m peudulum in the direction of ascribing too m ik'l.t importanto to the \ iliioniis. 'lids is not to my chat Mib>runecs are of loss importance thin U.coriginal discovery ol )iop!:m.s indicated. hut rather to guard agans,. ,111 impression gaining ground m the minds of the general public that main ins arc elixirs of hie. It would be the holy lift of lolly lor an engineer to concent rare the whole oi Ids attention on the lubrication of his machine, ami to pay no hoed to inaiu(mining the enyine m good repair, olio tho supply of fuel; and in die same niarnier musi bo rocoynised that the vitamins are only one yrmip ol dietary factors essential to dm smooth running of the 'human machine, and that limy are of equal importance to, hut. not greater than, the supply of repair nmli rial in the loriil n! protein.-., 1 or the supply of eneryy-yieldiny loodsaills. , The whole question of the vitammu. in their reiaiion to the lood ol the people is host viewed 1 from a stand-,' point of common sense. Ir must tm appreciated that, as we depart, from ( the. food stud’s provided liy Nature, so inevitnbly will the health of the nation j suffer sooner or later } I'nfortunntoiy, the economic comb-/ tions of our la rye towns render it. ne-i eessarv that much of the food supply/ is subjected to processees of sterilisa- J tion and preservation, but it) appears | that there i.s always a factor of safety if a supply of fresh vegetables and fruit -’s 1 ensured. Professor E. V. 31c- ) k'oltum, of John Hopkins University, ‘ Baltimore, has suggested that wo ( should call milk, eyas, green vegetn- •'

bios, and fruit “protective foods, on account of their great, value in ensuring an adequate supply of substances of the vitamin clasm When full consideration is given in the diedarie- of I he large masses m the industrial populations it is soon apparent lieu great a proportion of theni are living very near the border line of deficiency in the valuable, suhsp.uiees contained in fresh vegetable*- and fniil, Ihws’ddv it. will he. fnnud Unit this form of linder-mitrilion is to a hirer extent responsible for the lower standard of health and physique ohi;>inin.fr ilioso pf'oplo, tiuct would he well ii medical officers of health and others who are interest or. in llie health of our great communities hare in mind this borderland ol dcP ' Ih'om observations on animals it. has : liaon made apparent that maintenance far long periods ol time on diets only slight!v delicieiit in the veiii.niiii.s tutt have serious coiiseouenees. sinci; si 1dmn, it ever, are the symptoms ii-(l,',,-cd suffcienily striking or notieenhle for the cause to he _ detected, l.argo numhers of our working people anpmv to ho in (this indeilnitcly patlmhi'ieal eondii.ion, resulting from a, el mo nie state of slight under-iiutn-i ims, and fad when the straii) ol ) cat j 1 <•!ij I,{ m- of rest- 1 dig an epidemic is me*. , . The food of (lie people is a qnes..ion of vital importance to the 9-taie. and cverv measure slumld he taken to increase the faclities lor ohniining ■' plentiful simply of cheap milk ol good qunliW and of fresh vegetables aim fruit Net onlv musk lids be done, ivit snob ;dens inns, be accompanied bv educational measures, lor the poorer (dasso 1, are curiously disinejiued to cat salads and find, and for milk rely almost entirely on condensed produces. Proha hi v im single measure would

give ,; o remarkable n return as a widespread extension of the alhrmenV svsiem, now nnfortunateUv on the decline in tins country. The excellent result s of this system during; tho war period arc noil known m nil. nnd it is a great pitV that tho natural love which tho British man has for gap vu'nin<i shoul-f! not In* ; ih o]l])im-U-nit V for huilolinp; up fjho health unci well-being of tho nation. Tho present pnnuiaritv of tlie subject of tho vitamins in both tho soiontifio and Jay Ihvss has rcsul-W in a large number ~l' ci"-i iv pronrietarv products _ being nhio.'d on tho market. most of which ;i„i info supply tho vitamins in ooni 'ft! mtod form, It is difficult ho say whal should ho tho all kiuhyoi tho i nod ion I proto;, sum and oi tno pnnli l.iv, onis sio h prepare I ions, since it most ho admitted ihai only n very lii,.; r .,; (joniaml for them can ho jnsti-

lit d. Mi e:-perienee. has fjeen thatwhilst some of these products are quite valueless ax soures of vitamins oth/ws undoubtedly emiiair these substances ui vivviuy decrees of activity, lb is diHlcnlf in imaeiue, however, that sudi ar’iijioial preparations should be ic'cessarv except in special eases when on everv hand may he purchased natural foods which' will supply a far more potent source of vitamins at nuiuv times less cost.

Exploration [rarties and certain types (ifhosuital cases may perhaps require

vitamins in concentrated form, hut before, ulilisiny a commercial nroparat ion it would he well to consider whether the need miyhh not be. supplied hv the choice of certain natural products Jf a proprietary product is tn be used, care should he taken that its potency is established. More than one ease has occurred where such preparetiobis have been sent on to the' market accompanied by pamphlets in wbith the remarkable effect of vitamins is portrayed by photograph or chart, lint care is taken no!/ to say that the effect lias been produced, by the preparation advert used. There is no need to worry about vitamins if good fresh dnirv and garden produce be taken as far ns possible.

He. judge and jury and give ‘Nazol’ a trial. There can bo only one verdict—“ Absolutely competent to cure colds. Influenza, bronchitis and nasal catarrh.”