A prospective discussion of past international nutrition catastrophes--indications for the future

It is of interest that, aside from starvation, the nutrition catastrophes of the past, including scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) resulting from lack of fresh vegetables and fruit and beriberi (vitamin B1 deficiency) from consumption of polished rice, are forgotten and only of interest as history. The problems of vitamins were largely considered settled by the 1950s. With the appearance on the market of multiple-vitamin-and-mineral tablets, the public was also satisfied and considered the problem of deficiencies solved. Now we are faced with unexpected nutrition problems primarily in the industrial West, which follow from the excess of dietary fats, the refining of grains to make white flour, and the alteration of other natural foods for general use. As we labor to understand and control these problems, new and unexpected "toxins," deficiencies, or excesses may develop. This article is a brief historical account of the past based largely on personal experiences and my concern for the future. The realization that the Western industrial world's high-fat diet was profoundly unhealthy has led to an attempt at correction by development of numerous low-fat foods. Unsaturated vegetable oils and saturated animal fats are being reduced or eliminated. In their place, other components and compounds are being substituted for their taste and consistency, without adequate concern for their nutritional value or freedom from toxicity. Before continuing this risk, the health of the world's population must be considered. Our past experiences with chemical and mechanical alteration of foods, and its effect on the nutrition of every man, woman, and child in the Western world, primarily in industrial North America, should not be forgotten.