Rapid Maturation and Ageing 199 



subject for research, but it is possible that there was deficiency 

 of riboflavin in some of his diets. Jolhffe and colleagues 

 (JoUiffe, Funaro, Frontali, Maggioni, Corbo and Lanciano, 

 1953) have been studying the effect of vitamin Bjg (20 fig. 

 daily) on the growth of Italian children, and in the initial 

 seven months found a significant increase in weight. In the 

 second year of study (Jolliffe, 1954, personal communication) 

 significant increases in weight have again been found, but no 

 significant increase in height, which is surprising since the 

 INCAP workers concluded (1953) that "Throughout these 

 studies, rate of gain in height has proved the more convincing 

 variable". In India, it has been found that vitamin B^g 

 appears to have no effect upon growth in undernourished 

 children whose diets are inadequate (Annual Report, Nutrition 

 Research Laboratories, Coonoor, 1953). 



We do not know why overfeeding produces early matura- 

 tion. Overweight mothers tend to have large babies; so do 

 diabetic mothers, perhaps because they have a greater ratio 

 of glucagon to insulin and the former stimulates growth 

 (Elrick, 1953). But the longer life-span of animals that are 

 underfed during the growing period appears to be a general 

 event occurring in animals that have no pancreas. If length 

 of life-span is taken as a criterion, such animals should not 

 perhaps be regarded as "underfed": their diet should be 

 regarded as the "normal" one. Whatever the mechanism, I 

 wish to repeat w^hat I have been maintaining for the past few 

 years, that until we know more about the biological effects 

 of overnutrition during childhood we should be careful of 

 concluding that maximum growth is the optimupi. 



REFERENCES 



Benjamin, B., and Pirre, G. D. (1952). Lancet, i, 264. 



BoYNE, A. W., and Leitch, I. (1954). Nutr. Abs. Rev., 24, 255. 



Brody, S. (1945). Bioenergetics and growth. New York: Reinhold. 



Bruch, H. (1941). J. Pediat., 19, 365. 



Carlson, A. J., and Hoelzel, F. (1946). J. Nutr., 31, 363. X c^^SQA *' 



Chapman, R. N. (1920). Ann. ent. Soc. Amer., 13, 176. " /kV^ '^^ 



Chow, B. F. (1951). J. Nutr., 43, 323. 



