CASE FOR WHOLEMEAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19781, 31 October 1927, Page 7

CASE FOR WHOLEMEAL.

VICTORY OVER WHITE BREAD. EXPERIMENTS IN ENGLAND. CAREFUL TESTS WITH RATS. [from oce own correspondent.] LONDON. Sept. 21. From time to time controversy waxes warm about the food value of wholemeal bread in comparison with white The Daily Mail lately arranged for a body of eminent pathologists to conduct experiments. The result is that it now advances evidence, claimed to have been accurately and scientifically procured, in support of its campaign in favour of wholemeal. Dr. M. J Rowlands, who was pathologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley, and Dr Ethel Browning, medallist in pathology of Liverpool University, conducted the experiments. In view of the fact that rats are physically closest akin to human beings, the doctors have conducted their experiments with these animals Twenty rats of the same breed and exactly the same age were selected. These were divided into two cages, each of which contained five male and five female rodents. Cage A was earmarked for feeding with wholemeal, and cage B for feeding with white bread. The experiment commenced on August 2, and on that date the occupants of Cage A weighed 840 grammes, and those of Cage B 952 grammes. In order that there should be no question as to the animals suffering as a result of the sameness of food, the wholemeal and white bread diet, respectively, was varied with small quantities of other food from week to week. Each cage was provided with a food hopper identical in size, and Dr. Browning undertook the feeding At no time were the food hoppers allowed to be empty; they were replenished immediately, and while the rats in Cage A never finished their supplies those in Cage B were always wanting more. In actual weight of food consumed during the experiment the rats in Cage A had 720z. and those in Cage B 1990z. Besult of Weighings. All the animals were carefully watched and weighed at stated intervals. The weighings give the following remarkable figures:— „ Wholemeal rats. White bread rats. Aug. 2 . . 840 grammes. 952 grammes. Sept. S .. 1316 gramme*. 1176 grammes. Sept. 15 . . 1484 grammes. 1211 grammes. It will thus be seen that in the 54 days between August 2 and September 5 the rats fed on wholemeal —although they did not eat all the food given them—increased in weight by 476 grammes, while those fed on white bread increased by only 224 grammes, while in the next 10 days the "wholemealers" added another 168 grammes, or nearly five times as much as those fed on white bread Further, the "wholemealers" are sleek and healthy in appearance, while animals fed on white bread show obvious signs of debility, are listless in movement, are losing their hair, and show every sign of dying. One has, in fact, died, its weight at its death being 63 grammes, or roughly seven grammes less than its weight at the commencement of the experiment. Another Test with Rats. Side by side with this experiment another was conducted by Dr Rowlands and Dr. Browning. Four rats were fed on a deficiency diet, which was devoid of vitamin B. At the end of a month two of the rats were suffering from complete paralysis of the hind. le« ? They had lost weight and were having "fits " It was decided to place these two animals on teat, the worst being placed on a diet of wholemeal and tha other not so paralysed, on white bread. Within three hours the rat that was given wholemeal,containing the vital vita miu B, which it ate with avidity, was rapidly recovering, but the other, hardly touching the white bread, continued to sink When wholemeal was offered it ate ravenously, proving that it was quite cap able of eating, but refused white bread. As the result of these experiments the scientists say the\ are satisfed there is no vitamin B in white bread, or if there is the quantity is so small that it is negligible from a treatment point of view The first experiment proves, they hold, that white bread is in no way comparable with wholemea' breaa.