Corn and Pellagra Essay - 3168 Words

Corn and Pellagra Corn is a food eaten throughout the world. It is easy to produce and cheap so that in the past it has composed a large part of the diet of the poor who could not afford other foods. The consumption of corn as ones main food source can cause health problems due to a deficiency of the B vitamin niacin that if not treated can lead to insanity and even death. This paper will attempt to present a brief history of pellagra, concentrating primarily on the twentieth century American south, and discussing the causes of the disease, its progression in the human body and treatment. The first documented description of pellagra was 1735 in Europe by a Spanish physician, Gaspar Casal. He wrote, â€Å"Since I never saw a more†¦show more content†¦These coenzymes are involved in oxidation-reduction reactions and are essential for metabolic processes in each cell in the body. A deficiency in niacin decreases the cellular function throughout the body. One symptom of niacin deficiency is diarrhea, which is one of the four D’s of pellagra-diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and death (Rhoads 7). Pellagra is both easy and difficult to diagnose. Symptoms can vary throughout a population, but once the characteristic symmetrical lesions appear it is fairly easy to diagnose. In early stages it might be confused with sunburn or poison oak, but it is not until the skin begins to peel that the diagnosis can be certain (Etheridge 7). Pellagra adversely affects all systems of the body with the most striking involvement occurring in the skin, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. Patients are apathetic, anorexic, pale, and weak. The skin over exposed surfaces and pressure points becomes thickened, hyperkeratotic and hyperpigmented. This symmetric dermatosis is most apparent in areas exposed to the sun, which seems to trigger the lesions. Neurologic manifestations include peripheral neuropathy and encephalopathy with dementia in various degrees of severity. Involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is common including lesions around the angles of the mouth and atrophic changes in the tongue. Atrophic lesions of the stomach and bowel mayShow MoreRelated Sharecroppers Essay example1303 Words   |  6 Pagessharecroppers across the south â€Å"were not even allowed to have gardens, cows, or chickens† (Walker 18). Most of the time, the only field crops that sharecroppers could have as their own food we re: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;corn, that was ground for biscuit meal, cane, that was ground for syrup and nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;molasses, sweet potatoes, and cow peas. The only meat that was nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbspRead MoreSharecroppers: Reconstruction Era of the United States and Field Hands1328 Words   |  6 Pagesthese regulations increased them (Walker 37). Many sharecroppers across the south were not even allowed to have gardens, cows, or chickens (Walker 18). Most of the time, the only field crops that sharecroppers could have as their own food were: corn, that was ground for biscuit meal, cane, that was ground for syrup and molasses, sweet potatoes, and cow peas. The only meat that was incorporated into their diet was salt pork or sowbelly. (Walker 37) Many sharecroppers have been knownRead MoreAnth342 Essay1493 Words   |  6 Pagescontent, which in this case led to a condition called pellagra, a niacin deficiency characterized by diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia. Unfortunately, malnutrition has not subsided with the passing of time, and industrialized agriculture has supplanted infectious disease with its chronic counterpart, at an alarming rate of morbidity. A large contributor to this most recent epidemiological transition is the old guard of food conglomerates like corn and milk. An informal investigation of the packagedRead MoreChapter 25 the Grapes of Wrath1466 Words   |  6 Pagesangry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit—and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them, and let the putrescence drip down into the earth. There is aRead MoreSci 241 Week 524609 Words   |  99 Pagesall of the B vitamins. 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There is a crimeRead MoreLiving Matter Consumed By The Body Operates4167 Words   |  17 Pagespeas, lentils and beans , and even peanuts. They are rich in starch, but rather provide more protein than cereals or tubers. The proportion and type of amino acids of leguminous is similar to meat. Its chains of amino acids often supplement to rice, corn and wheat, which are staples in many countries. Tubers and rhizomes include various types of potatoes or potato, cassava and taro. They are rich in starch and relatively low in protein, but they provide many vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables