Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-02-09

Additions to American Experience by
British Observers.

Not the least interesting of the long Sc
ries of dietary studies by Prof. Atwater
and his fellow workers are those of uni
versity boat crews. They are studies
of men in good athletic training, brought
into that condition by carefully and skill
iuily regulated exercise, and proper diet
ing, and who at the time of the studies
were doing severe athletic work. 1t is
matter not only of interest but of prac.
teal Importance to understand the food
requirements of such individuals. and the,
work essentially differs from laborers'
work in that it is very severe, but of
short duration. The laborer is adapted
for sustained eXertion, the athlete for
snort but severe eXertiOn. 1t may be TAX
en- that the essential for an athlete is to
have very ample energy-liberating
mechanlsm-muscle capable of rapidlv
converting all available energy-prodncine
material nutrimenD into work, while on
the other hand the essential for the ac-
tlvely-worked laborer is not so much n
hlShiy-deVeloped liberatlng mechanism
as large store of energy producing ma
terial. 1t is common knowledge that "a
Dorers are not good athletes, and that
athletes are not good laborers. The
framing of the two classes is essentially
different
10 what extent the food requirements
OF the two classes differ is well shown
py the Investigations of Atwater and
Bryant. Seven studies were made. four
on Harvard university crews, two on
ale university crews, and one on the
captain of one of the Harvard crews.
Ihe observations were made under some
what unfayorable conditions. but the an
thors, with the assistance of fellow-work
ers, seem to have overcome all difficult
ties; and have recorded thoroughly trust
worthy results. The investigation en-
tailed an unusually large amount of
chemical analysis. The results of these
seven studies show that the food CON
sumed by these athletes contained a daily
average of 155 grams of proteid. III OF
fat, and 440 of carbohydrate, and had
an average daily energy value of 1885 ca
tories. The prominent characteristic of
such dietary is the large amount of
proteid. The energy value is equal to
that of diet for fairly severe labor, the
proteld is sufficient for more severe labor
NAL feature of an athletes diet is shown
in the bulletin by comparison with the
few trustworthy studies of athletes die
taries previously published.
Sandow in training has been found to
eat pa grams of proteid daily. a prize
the members of two football teams We're
found to eat on an average 1S1 and 270
grams daily. The energy value of the
diets of the boat crews is in excess of
that of the average dietaries of similar
young men, but is not so largely in ex-
cess as the proteid is. Students residing
in college clubs have been found to eat
a diet with an energy value of 5000 ca
tories, and a proteid value of 1O7 grams.
The energy value of the athletes diets
is only 10 per cent. more than the stu
dents diet. but the proteid value of the
athletes diet is 45 per cent. more than
the students diet. Atwater, by a care
full argument, shows that this large use
of proteid is not a mere coincidence. but
is to satisfy an actual physiological need,
though he, is not able fully to explain
this special need for proteid by athletes.
1t may be an excessive call for repair
and development of muscle, or it may be
to satisfy the special wants of the nerv-
Gus system to compensate for the grea I
nervous strain. London British Med
seal JOurnal