Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-07-22
Fortified Rice Is Seen
As Boon for OrientoIs
New Method Adds Acids
Needed in Human Growth
BY Thomos R. Henry

A simple means Of fortifying rice,
major food Of almost half the worlds
people, has been worked out by Ma
tional Institutes of Health nutritionists.
BY adding small amounts Of two
amino acids to the finely powdered
cereal, whose Chinese name is synony-
nous with the word for food" prod
uct has been prepared on which expert
mental rats grow three times as fast
as on the untreated rice. Presumably.
although tests have not been made,
there would be some similar effects on
men and women.
The finding may go far toward solv-
ing one Of the major nutrition problems
Of the world. It promises also to be
boon for victims Of high blood pressure
who remain for months on a monot-
onous, nearly tasteless rice diet-so
monotonouS, in fact, that patients often
cannot go through with the treatment.
Rice, like all other cereals. is deficient
In proteinS. These nitrogen-containing
substances are among the essentials Of
human nutrition. They constitute the
building stones Of the body, the chief
constituents of muscles and glands.
They are present in varying amounts
of different structure in nearly all
foods. Meat, however, is about 20 per
cent protein. Rice and some other
foods contain less than per cent.
Moreover, plant proteins are quite diff
ferent from animal proteins and can
not be so we'll utilized, fact which
makes a completely satisfactory vege-
tartan diet difficult to devise.
What PrOteins Are.
Proteins are extremely complex
molecules made up of much simpler
nitrogen-containing substances, the
amino acids. These can be syntheSized.
Proteins, per Sc, thus far have def1ed
all the skill of organic chemists. Every
species requires it's own special kind of
proteins. Those in the meats and cereals
eaten are Immediately split up into
their constituent amino acids. Then
these are recombined to make proteins
again-man proteins or dog proteins
or rat proteins as the case may be.
For an adult human at least eight Of
these acids, which enter into every pro-
tein formed in the body. must be sup
piled in the diet. A growing child needs
human body. Some animals require
more or less. These essential human
amino acids, we'll known to organic
chemists, are methionine. tryptophane,
leucine, isoleucine, valine, phenylala-
nine, threonine and, for children, ar
genine and histidine. The body can
produce the others needed.
The rice protein, in addition to its
small amount, is lacking in lysine and
threonine. Otherwise it appears to be
of fairly good quality for human con-
sumption.
All cereals have their amino acid
deficiencies. Corn, for example, lacks
lysine and tryptophane, and this might
be rather serious deficiency in the
corn belt Of the United States were it
not that great deal Of meat is eaten
and cereal usually is eaten with milk
which contains lot of the two acids.
Slower Growth.
A lack Of any of the essentials leads
to slower growth and smaller bodies. It
also is responsible for various types of
anemia. These effects are notable
through the rice-growing area.
Institute Of Nutrition scientists found
that the rice, In the form given to rats.
could be enriched easily and cheaply
with the two deficient amino acids. The
growth OF the rats was startling, greater
than would be expected with humans.
The diet, except for the deficient acids,
at first, was supplied with everything
rats need in the form Of vitamins and
minerals.
Many years ago the deficiencies Of q
poliShed-rice diet, such as Is common
in the Orient. were brought strikingly
to world attention because of the ap-
pearance of the serious nerve disease,
beri-beri, caused by the lack of the B
v1tamin thiamine. This is largely re-
moved from the rice in the polishing
process. A system was devised at that
time for coating rice grains with the
vitamin and then mixing them with
other rice.
Presumably, some quite similar
process may be used to get the two
amino acids into the grain rice eaten
by so many millions. It would be better
to vary the rice diet. Both Chinese and
japanese vary 1t as much as possible
with fish and fish oils which contain
the necessary ingredients.
But at present, there is very little
likelihood that the diet of the great
majority of rice eaters will be materially
changed. 1t is the easiest food to grow
in the Orient and, when the deficiencies
are corrected, a fairly good food. II
the enrichment plan is adopted it is
likely that great improvement may be
brought about In the general welfare
of the people.