World's Use and Supply of Sugar 281 



French armies, indicate the value of sugar in the ration 

 when the men are subjected to great exertion. 



"... According to our present knowledge the value 

 of sugar as a food for muscular work may be briefly sum- 

 marized as follows : 



"When the organism is adapted to the digestion of 

 starch, and there is sufficient time for its utilization, sugar 

 has no advantage over starch as a food for muscular work. 



" In small quantities and in not too concentrated form 

 sugar will take the place, practically weight for weight, 

 of starch as a food for muscular work, barring the dif- 

 ference in energy and in time required to digest them, 

 sugar having the advantage in these respects. 



"It furnishes the needed carbohydrate material to 

 organisms that have little or no power to digest starch. 

 Thus, milk sugar is part of the natural food of the infant 

 whose digestive organs are, as yet, unable to convert 

 starch into an assimilable form. 



"In times of great exertion or exhausting labor, the 

 rapidity with which it is assimilated gives sugar certain 

 advantages over starch and makes it prevent fatigue. 



"This latter quality, which renders it more rapidly 

 available for muscular power, may account for the fact 

 that sugar is so relished by people who are doing muscular 

 work, and by those of very active habits, such as children. 



" The American farmer ranks high among agriculturists 

 as a rapid and enduring worker, and his consumption of 

 sweets is known to be very large. The same is true of 

 lumbermen and others who work hard in the open air; 

 sugar and seed cakes are favorite foods with them. Dietary 

 studies carried on in the winter lumber camps of Maine 



