Man feeds himself in order to build the structures of his body, following the fundamental need that consists in the continuous transformation of the chemical and biological matter of which all organisms are constituted. Progress has led, on one hand to improvements, but on the other hand the laws that guide the human organism have been lost sight of. The ambitious goal of Greeneatchef is to try to bring the information that allows conscious choices.
Man feeds in order to build the structures of his body, following the fundamental need that consists in the continuous transformation of the chemical and biological matter of which all organisms are constituted Progress in recent years has improved the human condition in all fields and has unwittingly led to losing sight of the natural laws that guide the human body, accelerating the risk of disease, Diet itself can also be the cause of disease, which is the natural way to recover the right balance with the body.
The laws that regulate the transformations of living matter, cd metabolism, have undergone a remarkable development from the twentieth century to today, but biological and medical research has not stopped leading to the discovery of new drugs, new therapeutic measures for the treatment of diseases, and their prevention.
And it is with this aim of prevention that we propose to try to develop an editorial project on human nutrition and its continuous deviation from its natural origins.
Let us briefly explore some diseases related to nutrition or bad nutrition.
SCURVY
Scurvy is a disease produced by a deficiency of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) that occurs in people who have a diet devoid of vegetables and fruits for prolonged periods of time. Scurvy was observed in sailors embarked for long periods of navigation until it was discovered that it could be prevented by the administration of lemon juice.
Vitamin C deficiency produces anemia, easy bleeding, and poor connective collagen strength, with a predisposition to tooth loss. It has been observed that for the full symptomatology of scurvy to be triggered, dietary deprivation of vitamin C for the duration of at least 30 weeks is required.
PELLAGRA
Another disease closely related to diet is pellagra, which is found in a diet rich in corn. Pellagra was the typical disease of the poorest areas of Italy also because of agricultural policies that left to sharecroppers only maize and few other products, whereas to the landowner went all the production.
It presents itself with reddening and desquamation of the skin, associated with diarrhea and subsequent gradual dementia (in a terminal stage). Only in about 1930 the discovery of the concept of vitamin and the molecular identification of niacin (or vitamin PP) made known the cause of the disease.
Beriberi.
It is the deficiency of vitamin B. It derives from the exclusive consumption of polished rice (i.e. deprived of the shells).
The symptoms are polyneuritis, cardiopathy, and extensive edema with high mortality. The name derives from the Sinhalese, beriberi, meaning “I can not”, it is a disease so debilitating as to limit any activity. It was observed that chickens with symptoms of beriberi recovered as they were fed with residues of rice polishing. Scientists examined rice shells and isolated thiamine (Casimir Frank – 1883/1967 – who coined the term “vitamin”).
RACHITIS
The disease of bone development due to an insufficient fixation of calcium, produced by the lack of vitamin D. Typical condition of poor populations. The mother, debilitated by frequent pregnancies, work in the fields or in the industry, could hardly provide nutritious and prolonged breastfeeding to the newborn. In addition to this, homes with poor light, poor ventilation explain the frequency of rickets in children of the poorer classes and especially in industrialized cities of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The scientific understanding of rickets was completed only in the twenties of the last century, with the discovery of vitamin D, although the first detailed description of the disease dates back to 1650 (Francis Glisson De rachitis).