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Cardiovascular Conditions / Dietary Goals of the United States
Page: 7
Benefits From Human Nutrition Research
By C. Edith Weir
This report is part of a study conducted at the direction of the Agricultural Research Policy Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of Agriculture. A joint task group representing the State Agricultural Experiment Stations and the U.S. Department of Agriculture was assigned the responsibility for making the study. Task group members were:
Dr. Virginia Trotter, co-chairman, dean, College of Home Economics, Univ. of Nebraska
Dr. Stephen C. King, co-chairman, associate director, Science and Education Staff, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Dr. Walter L. Fishel, assistant professor, Dept. Of Agriculture and Applied Economics, Univ. Of Minnesota
Dr. H. Wayne Bitting, program planning and evaluation staff, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Dr. C. Edith Weir, Assistant Director, Human Nutrition Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Better health, a longer active lifespan, and greater satisfaction from work, family and leisure time are among the benefits to be obtained from improved diets and nutrition. |
Advances in nutrition knowledge and its application during recent decades have played a major role in reducing the number of infant and maternal deaths, deaths from infectious diseases, particularly among children, and in extending the productive lifespan and life expectancy. Significant benefits are possible both from new knowledge of nutrient and food needs and from more complete application of existing knowledge. Potential benefits may accrue from alleviating nutrition-related health problems, from increased individual performance and satisfactions and increased efficiency in food services. A vast reservoir of health and economical benefits can be available by research yet to be done on human nutrition.
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Major health problems are diet related. Most all of the health problems underlying the leading causes of death in the United States could be modified by improvements in diet. |
The relationship of diet to these health problems and others is discussed in greater detail later in the report. Death rates for many of these conditions are higher in the U.S. than in other countries of comparable economic development. Expenditures for health care in the U.S. are skyrocketing, accounting for 67.2 billion dollars in 1970-or7.0 percent of the entire U.S. gross national product.
The real potential from improved diet is preventative. - Existing evidence is inadequate for estimating potential benefits from improved diets in terms of health. Most nutritionists and clinicians feel that the real potential from improved diet is preventative in that they may defer or modify the development of a disease state so that a clinical condition does not develop. The major research thrust, nationwide, has been on the role of diet in treating health problems after they have developed. This approach has had limited success. USDA research emphasis has been placed on food needs of normal healthy persons and findings from this work have contributed much of the existing knowledge on their dietary requirements.
Benefits would be shared by all.-Benefits from better nutrition, made possible by improved diets, would be available to the entire population. Each age, sex, ethnic economic and geographic segment would be benefited. The lower economic population groups would benefit most from effective application of current knowledge.
These savings are only a small part of what might be accomplished for the entire population from research yet to be done. Some of the improvements can be expressed as dollar benefits to individuals or to the nation. The social and personal benefits are harder to quantify and describe.
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It is difficult to place a dollar figure on the avoidance of pain or the loss of a family member; satisfactions from healthy, emotionally adjusted families; career achievement; and the opportunity to enjoy leisure time. |
Major health benefits are long range. Predictions of the extent to which diet may be involved in the development of various health problems have been based on current knowledge of metabolic pathways of nutrients, but primarily of abnormal metabolic pathways developed by persons in advanced stages of disease. There is little understanding of when or why these metabolic changes take place. The human body is a complex and very adaptive mechanism. For most essential metabolic processes alternate pathways exist which can be utilized in response to physiological, dietary or other stress. Frequently, a series of adjustments take place and the ultimate result does not become apparent for a long time, even years, when a metabolite such as cholesterol accumulates. Early adjustment of diet could prevent the development of undesirable long-range effects. Minor changes in diet and food habits instituted at an early age might well avoid the need for major changes, difficult to adopt later in life.
The original document is over 70 pages. You may be able to find it in the stacks in the library of a large university.
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