F. J. Stare

Nutritional studies of vegetarians. IV. Dietary fatty acids and serum cholesterol levels.

mThe serum cholesterol levels of these groups as related to fat intake2 and the fiber in the diet3 have also been reported. This report presents the component fatty acids and the iodine values of fats consumed by these subjects, and their correlations with the serum cholesterol values. A table of fatty acids compiled by us4 and a more recent one by the Department of Agriculture5 were used as the basis for these calcula

The Composition of Human Adipose Tissue from Several Parts of the World

T HAT the composition of the fat of adipose tissue in animals may be varied by the kind of dietary fat fed has long been known although the quantitative aspects, the extent to which specific fatty acids change under various dietary loads and conditions, remains to be determined. Hirsch et ‘ have demonstrated changes in the adipose tissue of man when fed diets high in corn oil. These findings become of considerable interest with the intensive study of the effect of dietary fat upon atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. This paper reports data upon the fatty acid composition of adipose tissues collected from autopsy material or at surgery from several areas of the world where the diets differ considerably in the amount and kind of fat.

An epidemiological study of osteoporosis in Israel.

Lateral lumbar spine roentgenograms from 1,463 adult outpatients without bone disease or malignancy were visually evaluated for degree of osteoporosis, with diet studied for 330. Degree of osteoporosis increased with age, more rapidly in females. In subjects over 60, 68% of men and 94% of women showed some degree of osteoporosis, and 5% and 22%, respectively, showed more than minimally detectable osteoporosis. Subjects of North African and Asian (other than Israeli) origins had significantly more osteoporosis than those of European, North American, or Israeli origins. Males consumed more calcium and protein, consumption of both decreasing with age. By age and sex, there was no association between calcium or protein intake and osteoporotic extent. Although levels of calcium, nitrogen, or hydroxyproline in random urine samples were not associated with osteoporosis, higher phosphorus levels were.

Aortic calcification in Israel. An epidemiological study.

Lateral roentgenograms of the lumbar spine from 1,463 ambulatory outpatients of the Department of Roentgenology of the Hadassah-Hebrew Hospital in Jerusalem were graded with respect to the degree of osteoporosis and aortic calcification. Aortic calcification increased in both sexes with an increase in age and to approximately the same degree, although men over the age of 60 showed somewhat more calcification than women of the same age. Many of the subjects were immigrants to Israel, but little effect of the area of origin upon the degree of aortic calcification could be proven. The association between the degree of osteoporosis and aortic calcification in both men and women over age 60 was highly significant, but this association is not explained by the fact that both disorders are age- dependent.

Fat Emulsions for Oral Nutrition. II. Failure of Phosphatide, Tween 80, or Choline to Influence Fat Absorption.∗:

Summary The absorption of orally fed corn oil in approximately physiological amounts by the rat was unaffected by the presence of amounts of purified soybean phosphatide or Tween 80, greatly in excess over that needed to make excellent emulsions by mechanical means. The absorption of approximately physiological amounts of orally fed corn oil by the severely choline deficient rat was similar to that found in the normal rat. The absorption of corn oil after instillation in the rat intestine ligated below the pancreas and at the ileocecal junction was unaffected by the presence of large amounts of purified soybean phosphatide, Tween 80, or choline chloride.

Athletics and nutrition

W HAT constitutes the “optimum” diet for athIetes training for competitive contests is a perennia1 question. For centuries trainers and coaches have advocated special dietary schemes, stemming from older traditions and superstitions, and based on the beIief that the ingestion of particuIar foods would augment the physical capacity or efficiency of the performer. One of the most widespread of such practices has been the advocacy of ingesting large quantities of meat meant to repIenish “muscular substance” following the “losses” supposedly incurred during severe muscuIar work. This particular practice was first recorded in Greece during the fifth century B.C., and ascribed to two athletes who had deviated from the hitherto traditional (chieAy vegetarian) diet of the time to a regimen entaiIing the intake of large quantities of meat which lead to increased body bulk and weight. The fifth century also saw a change in the cuttural outlook on physical fitness: instead of being considered essentiallya broad prerequisite for participation in the defense of the country, physical litness became subordinate to training for specilic sports, excellence in which became superior to aImost all other vaIues [21]. An attitude of this sort has not disappeared among the athIetes specializing in particular sports. In sports, such as boxing and wrestling, present day athletes, professiona and amateur (and, among the latter, even high school students), not infrequently pIace themseIves on such stringent regimens as “crash diets” combined with dehydration so as to Iose weight. This regimen causes rapid weight loss and the athIete can thus make Iower weight classifications. While it may be desirable for an overweight person to Iose weight, a crash diet is not the method to be recommended. More often the intention of those athletes is not t,o attain their most “desirabIe” weight for competition, but rather to compete with advantage against those who reaIIy do belong in a lower weight bracket. When such weight classifications have been set up to provide competition on an equitable basis, the violation of these standards by sudden self-inflicted starvation and I)>temporarydehydration serves no more the ethics of sportsmanship than it does the health of the people concerned. Such practices have recentIy been condemned by the A. AI. A. [r2i].