The Coolidge examiner., 1936-04-24

nr P,r%on one W KNOW ii he
is undernourished?
According to an editorial in the
Journal of the American Medical
Association, undernutrition is where
the body weight is not less than
10 to Is per cent below the ideal
weight for given age, sex and
height.
Among the unfavorable effects of
undernutrition are general weak
ness and tiredness, lessening of the
physical and mental ability, and a
greater likelihood to be attacked by
disease. There is often thin blood
and a dropping Of the abdominal
organs.
The cause of undernutrition is
not completely known because a
number Of factors may enter into
it. Among the suspected causes
are (a) overactivity of certain duct
less glands Thyroid in the neck
for eXample); (b) popularity of
the nervous system; (c) getting an
insufficient amount of the right
kinds of food.
Sometimes cases thought to be
due to gland disturbance or to the
fact that the individual was of the
nervous" type, have been found
to be really due to lack of good
body building food.
Research Shows Results
l have mentioned before the re-
search work of Drs. ]. NJ. Strang
and F. A. Evans, as recorded in An
nails of Internal Medicine, with a
group of 21 undernourished office
patients. These patients were Civ
en- a diet containing sufficient body
building and energy giving foods
with very gratifying results in
weight increase. During an aver
age period of II weeks the average
Increase in weight was II per cent,
or about IL pounds per week. Sim
liar results were obtained in a
group of IS hospital patients; their
average body weight increase was
13 per cent in a period Of five
weeks.
In addition to gaining weight
many different symptoms disap-
peared, 1.-The patients expressing a
feeling of we'll being, and they be
came more resistant to fatigue and
to Infection"
That the rate at which the body
processes work (metaholic rate) had
nothing to do with causing their TN
derweight was shown by the fact
that this rate was about normal or
slightly below normal.
Further careful measurements
showing the relation of the total
weight of the food eaten to the to-
tai wastes from the intestine
showed that % per cent of the food
was digested and absorbed into the
blood during the period Of treat
ment. This shows that the stOm-
ach and intestine, was just as eff
ticient as those of normal individ
uals.
These experiments show that
when diets are scientifically ar
ranged, and followed faithfully, def
mite gains in weight can be made
by the majority of underweights.
Must Supply Energy.
Now the foods eaten to increase
weight must not only supply energy
and repair worn out body cells but
must contain an extra amount of
the foods that can be stored in the
body as fat. Foods that will leave
something to be stored as fat are
bread, sugar, butter. cream, salad
dressings, cream soups, peas, beans,
nuts and dried fruit.
Fat meat and pastry are rich In
fats but cannot always be eaten by
underweights.
Milk, eggs, and meat must be
eaten for body building.
Fruits and vegetables, though
apt to give "full" feeling too soon,
nevertheless are necessary in
building-up diet because of their
minerals - sodium, calcium, iron.
phosphorus and others; their vita
Minis, and for their roughage.