Adventures in nutrition over half a century
1980
Widdowson, Elsie M.
A personal reminiscence of 50 years in British nutrition research begins in the 1930's when the author became involved in a study to determine carbohydrate content of foods for use in diabetic diets. Analysis of cooked and uncooked fruits and vegetables revealed information on water, nitrogen, fat, minerals, starch, sugars, and fiber, which was published in 1936. This information, together with data on meats and fish, and subsequent studies of cereals, dairy products, and sweets, became the basis for the first publication of food tables. The next logical step was to determine energy and nutrient intake for individuals; the astonishing aspect of these studies was the enormous variation in dietary intake. Other projects and experiments, frequently involving members of the research team, were conducted on salt deficiency, iron absorption and excretion, wartime diets, human utilization of various minerals and their effects on vitamin D, post-war undernutrition in Germany, and the nutrient balance of various bread flours. Body composition analysis was done for infants and adults. The raising of rats for nutrition studies began in the 50's, giving greater scope for nutrition research in many areas.
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