Page 54 - Spring2015

The vitamin public health officials and administrators called twentieth century turned from curing nutritional

deficiency dis- his conclusions regarding diet “absurd,” relying deficiencies and infectious diseases to exploring
on the current eugenics theories that only inferior the role of nutrition in chronic disease, such as
eases are again “human wastage” ended up impoverished or in heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. The
appearing institutions and that susceptibility to disease new direction began in the 1950s with the start of
among chil- was racially determined. Even though Dr. Gold- the Framingham Heart Study and the research of
berger proved through his dietary experiments “Dr. Cholesterol,” Ancel Keys. Fat, particularly
dren, with convicts that pellagra was a condition of saturated fat, and cholesterol were identified as
immigrants, malnutrition, he was still accused of fudging his the culprits in the development of heart disease,
and the poor, results, and criticized even by E.V. McCollum. and dietitians were taught to recommend severe
Sadly, the
Totally frustrated, he and six volunteers injected restrictions of these “villains.”
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and also themselves with the blood of pellagra patients, as Standard American Diet (SAD), largely a result
subclinical well as rubbed nose secretions into their mouths, of the now-failed nutrition policy from the 1950s
deficiencies and ingested urine, feces, and skin scabs mixed onward, resulted in a staggering upward trend in
in a flour paste from patients. The fact that they the incidence of all these diseases.
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are seen in did not contract pellagra still did not convince The vitamin deficiency diseases are again
the general the medical profession that pellagra was caused appearing among children, immigrants, and the

population. by a vitamin deficiency. But at universities and in poor, while subclinical deficiencies are also seen
in the general population. From 2014 on, sci-
Europe, his work was praised and he was nomi-
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nated twice for a Nobel Prize. Goldberger, again entists cannot help but admit that this paradigm
back in the South, was asked to intervene when of condemning traditional saturated fats is not
an epidemic of pellagra struck after widespread only just plain wrong but dangerous. Butter is
flooding in 1927. He recommended brewer’s once again becoming popular, replacing rancid
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yeast, which was a huge success and saved many vegetable oils that were pushed so heavily for
lives. 1 decades. As in the days of Weston Price, the
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Dr. Goldberger died prematurely in 1929 of nutritional value of the commercial food supply
a rare cancer and never succeeded in isolating continues to decline as processed, artificial and
the substance lacking in the diet of those with genetically modified foods become the mainstay
pellagra. Conrad Elevjhem (1901-1962) did so along with increasingly poor physical and mental
when he experimentally fed a similar diet to health of the American population. 56
dogs. They developed “black tongue” and could Yet burgeoning public awareness and grass-
be cured by feeding them nicotinic acid (niacin) roots initiatives spurred on by organizations
contained in fresh meat or brewer’s yeast. With like the Weston A. Price Foundation continue to
the Great Depression, the 1930s saw a resurgence inspire everyday citizens to take a stand and fight
in the incidence of pellagra, also called the dis- for their food rights by supporting small farmers
ease of four Ds: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia and farmers markets, tending organic gardens,
and death. After the discovery of vitamin B as and cooking wholesome, delicious meals at home
3
a preventive, pellagra rates fell rapidly. These where future generations will be nurtured.
nutrition advances led to the enrichment of all
flour with niacin, along with iron, thiamin and Sylvia P. Onusic, PhD, CNS, LDN, a board-
riboflavin. After World War II pellagra was certified and licensed nutritionist, writer and
considered a disease of the past. 1 researcher, is a frequent contributor to the
The remainder of the vitamins we know journal. Her background is in foods, nutrition,
today were also discovered in the first half of the and public health. As "Your Public Health Ad-
twentieth century. These include all members vocate," she keeps you current on controversial
of the B-vitamin family, including B and folic topics in health and nutrition, analyzes studies
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acid, as well as vitamin K and others. in the field, and provides nutrition counseling
1
2
services through her website at drsylviaonusic.
A NEW FOCUS com.
Research during the second half of the
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