THECUBAREVIEW 27 



SUGAR AND ITS VALUE AS FOOD 



By Mary Hinman Abel, from "Farmers' Bulletin 535," U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



(Concluded.) 



NUTRITIVE VALUE OF SUGAR CANE 



The entire juice of the ripened sugar cane is, of course, more nearly a complete food th:m 

 its crystaHzed sugar, for it contains other constituents besides carbohydrates. It is elaborated 

 by the plant as a rich food for building up young leaves and buds. In sugar-producing crjun- 

 tries the cane is regarded as a staple food durmg its season. All classes of people chew the ripe 

 cane freed from its hard rind, incredible quantities being consumed in this way. Shiploads are 

 brought daily to the markets of Rio Janeiro and West Indian towns. For months the chief 

 food of the negro laborers on the plantations is said to be the sugar cane, and they are seen to 

 grow strong and fat as the harvesting season advances, although they may begin it weak and 

 half -starved. 



PRACTICAL USE OF SUGAR IN THE ORDINARY DIET 



Sugar was formerly regarded as a condiment and valued chiefly for its pleasant taste, but 

 ■its food value has been fully established and, considenng the immense quantities at present con- 

 consumed, it is very important to determine the extent of its usefulness in dietaries. 



It has been ascertained that in large numbers of well-to-do families in this country about 

 2 pounds per week per person are consumed. It would seem that this amount or about one- 

 fourth of a pound daily, taken in adddition to other food, is well utilized by the system. There 

 is some question regarding the desirability of using larger quantities. The use of sugar, it would 

 seem, should be limited in two ways: (1) The amount consumed should not be greater than may 

 be readily assimilated, else it would overload the stomach and bring on digestive disturbances 

 and in some cases might produce pathological conditions in the excretory organs; and (2) the 

 sugar should not be taken in a solution or other form so concentrated that it causes a burning 

 sensation or other digestive disturbance. The question of possible permanent injury from 

 the use of fairly large amounts of sugar seems to be an open one, and certainly the extreme 

 -views which are sometimes found in popular writings do not seem to be entertained by well- 

 informed physiologists, the conclusion generally accepted being that, used in reasonable amoimts, 

 sugar is both wholesome and nutritious. 



AMOUNT AND CONCENTRATION 



Sugar differs greatly from starch in the amount that can be properly used in the system. 

 Starch foods, such as potatoes, bread, etc., can be digested and utihzed in very large quantities. 

 As much as 600 grams (1.3 pounds) of starch per day may be digested for many days without 

 difficulty. This amount of starch is contained in 2.5 or 3 pounds of bread, or in 6 or 7 pounds of 

 potatoes. Fewer tests have been made regarding the maximum amount of sugar that may be 

 used by the system. Vaughan Harley used large quantities of sugar in some of his ex-periments 

 ■on himself, but 400 grams (nearly a pound) daily for some time very much affected his digesti(jn. 



Since, as scientific investigators seem agreed, the digestion of sugar is relatively so rapid, 

 assimilation and storage in the liver cannot keep pace with its absorption from the intestines 

 if it is taken in large quantities. In this case, part of the sugar will be excreted unchanged. 

 Not only is this excess of sugar wasted, but such an unnatural tax on the excretory organs, if 

 constant and long continued, might end in disease. It is also a matter of common observation 

 that large amounts of sugar and sweetened food are apt to be accompanied by imdue fermenta- 

 tion in the stomach and intestines. If this occurs it shows that the quantity of sugar eaten 

 is too great. 



In this regard, investigators have pointed out that sugar bears much the same relation to 

 starch that peptone, one of the products of meat digestion, does to meat. Both sugar and pep- 

 tone are very diffusible, and thus enter rapidly into the circulation, strong solutions at the same 

 time irritating the mucous membrane with which they come into contact by virtue of their 

 water-abstracting power. The "furry" feeling noticed when a piece of hard candy is held in the 

 mouth for some time against the cheek is a familiar example of the effect produced on sensitive 



