Treatment For Leanness (Dr. Paul Berger, Berlin 1890)

[Evgenij]

I found a german paper about leanness from the year 1890 and I think it's great. Here are a few quotes, but attention, a translator was used:

It is well known that the food we eat consists of various nutrients, including protein, fat, carbohydrates (sugar, starch), salts and water. Of all the foods, milk is the only one that contains the nutrients in such a mixture that humans can fully feed on them in the first months of life. In later life, no food alone is able to bring the human body up to a physiological level or to maintain it on such a level. The complete nourishment of the human body can only be achieved by a mixture of different foods, which as such represent the food of the human being. In addition to the above-mentioned nutrients, however, at every level of culture and under the most varied external conditions man also supplies his body in significant quantities with a group of nutrients which, although their absence does not call into question the state of the body, in no way seem to be indifferent to its preservation. These are the so-called stimulants, which have a stimulating effect on various areas of the nervous system through a volatile or fixed, nitrogen-containing or nitrogen-free component (alcohol, volatile oils, fragrances, caffeine, theine, etc.), which occurs in them, whereby the common feeling is soon aroused in a pleasant way and individual functions of the intellectual or vegetative life experience a desirable increase.

In general, recent studies have shown that adults need 500-700 grams of food every day in order to eat a sufficient amount of food. The ratio of nitrogen-containing substances (proteins) to nitrogen-free substances (carbohydrates) and fats must be 1:4-5, plus 2500-3000 grams of water every day, so that the total intake is 3000-3500 grams, i.e. the 20th-25th part of the body weight.

What is a person's need for the various nutrients? As the following table by Prof. v. Voit teaches, the amount of the same is different according to age, activity and how we would like to add occupation. Voit found the following numbers according to this direction:

In general, as the average numbers of the needs of a healthy person, we want to base the following on the following: 120 grams of protein, 60 grams of fat and 500 grams of carbohydrates (starch, sugar, cellulose), which corresponds to a ratio of 1:4.5. However, with these figures, which are only empirically derived from the study of food, we have no indication whatsoever for the nutritional needs of the individual. For this purpose, we must know, as can easily be seen, above all what the individual spends, what is left over for his body.

We find an evaluation yardstick for these numbers in the urea of humans, which is contained in the excreted urine. It contains almost all the nitrogen that is excreted with urine and we can therefore see from a comparison of the amount of nitrogen contained in food and faeces and the amount excreted in urine whether, in the individual case, nitrogen substance, i.e. proteins, has been applied to the body or released by it.

The metabolism experiments of recent years with their extremely interesting, sometimes surprising results have been based on the recognition of this fact.

While in the past it was thought that the more protein the body was supplied with, the more it was put on, more recent research has shown that, conversely, the more nitrogenous food the body consumes, the more it decomposes. In addition, it has been shown that the carnivore's body is able to balance itself with any amount of protein, i.e. both with a reduced intake of protein and with an increased intake, the state occurs in which the amount of nitrogen from the excreta products is equal to the amount of nitrogen introduced with the food. This state is called nitrogen equilibrium. If an animal had been fed abundant protein food for a longer period of time and now received only 1/3 of the previous amount of protein for a longer period of time, the conversion of the circulating and organic protein decreased until it was equal to the amount of protein supplied; if it had been fed sparsely with protein in the past and the same was now supplied in abundant amounts, the protein decomposition grew with simultaneous meat preparation until the amount of protein decomposed daily was equal to the amount of protein supplied daily in the diet. The upper limit for the protein intake is given by the absorption capacity of the gastrointestinal tract, which is not able to digest more than a certain amount. The lower limit depends on the body's level of circulating (liquid) protein. If the organism was already poorly nourished in the past and therefore possesses only small amounts of circulating protein, then it is deeper and higher in a body that was previously well nourished. However, one cannot believe that the small amount that the organism decomposes during starvation, administered in food, would be sufficient to cover the loss of the body. In a state of hunger, the metabolism is reduced to a minimum and you have to supply 2 1/2 times as much protein in the food as a starving person decomposes from his own body in order to maintain a poor state.

These observations show that different organisms do not need the same amount of protein to maintain the body or the protein base, but that they change according to the nutritional consciousness. If the body has a certain supply of circulating protein, an increased conversion takes place and a correspondingly large amount of protein must be supplied in order to maintain the turnover at the same level; if this amount is increased, more is supplied than is necessary for maintenance, protein substances can be added until nitrogen equilibrium is restored due to increased protein supply. Conversely, the decomposition of protein in poorly nourished individuals is much lower, so that the same amount of protein that the well nourished organism is able to maintain can be used to achieve nitrogen uptake.

From what has been said the great importance of proteins for the organism results. They are absolutely necessary for the maintenance of life processes and can only be replaced to a certain degree by other foods; they are also the only food substance which, in the presence of water and the necessary ash constituents, can maintain the life process on its own. They can also completely replace fats and carbohydrates, which is not the case vice versa.

What is the function of the other two nutrients, fats and carbohydrates?

The importance of fat is twofold: firstly, it is deposited as such in the body cells, but then it reduces the decomposition of proteins. This effect of the fat is of particular importance when it comes to achieving an approach of body components. As we have seen above, if only protein is consumed, only small amounts of this substance can always be retained in the body, since each addition of protein to food causes an increase in turnover, until after a few days a state of equilibrium between income and expenditure is restored. If, on the other hand, protein and fat are administered at the same time, a smaller amount of protein is sufficient to meet the organism's material requirements, and if the same is present in excess, the decomposition factor does not increase to the same extent as in the case of an exclusive protein intake, so that a larger fraction of the excess remains undecomposed in the body and is used.

The fat stored in the body also acts in the same direction as the fat contained in the food, which also reduces the metabolism. This explains why hunger can be endured longer by fat-rich organisms than by fat-poor ones, since the former consume less of the protein of their organs. The fat stored in the body (among others) is also the reason why corpulent individuals often increase in body fullness, even if they do not enjoy an excessive amount of food.

The effect of the fat is similar to that of the carbohydrates in many respects, especially in that the latter, like the former, protect part of the imported protein bodies from decomposition and thus mediate protein formation. It has been believed for some time and still is believed that carbohydrates can directly convert into fat, but so far such a transition could not be established with certainty. Carbohydrates are also important in other respects, as they can replace fat to a certain extent. Voit has directly found that 240 grams of starch flour are equivalent to 100 grams of fat and that these values can represent each other in the diet of the organism.

In addition to these nutrients, man also needs mineral nutrients, the most important of which are potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid and sulphuric acid. They can be found partly in the nutrients themselves, partly dissolved in water or finally instinctively added to food.

In order to have a sufficient diet, man does not only need the nutrients mentioned above, but also, as we have seen above, they must be present in a certain proportion. But even in this proportion, they are sufficient to maintain the organism, but they are not enough when it comes to achieving protein and fat intake in poorly nourished, lean people. Even for the necessary preservation one could not find the usual food sufficiently on closer examination.

We are by no means of the opinion that in every case of leanness the cause is to be found in a deficient nutrition; we have already become acquainted with a large number of other causes in Chapter I, which likewise provide cause for nutritional anomalies, and we have also stressed above that for some nutritional disorders causes of unknown nature lie at the bottom. We believe, however, that nutritional deficiencies must be one of the main causes of lean eating habits. In particular, we will have to use the healing plan, which we will develop in more detail below.

The first and most important postulate is to fathom the cause of the nutritional disorder - only then can diet and nutrition be considered.

The most important and useful of these methods are dietetic cures, of which we will discuss the most outstanding below:

1. The Milk cure.

Milk is as easily digestible as it is sufficient to replace the substance, and this explains why it has been recommended for a long time that milk be used systematically and exclusively in cases of leanness and other nutritional disorders. In milk, casein and albumin cover the need for nitrogen, butter and lactose the need for fats and carbohydrates, lactose, which is always ready for fermentation, initiates various chemical transformations, salts, soils and iron are supplied in sufficient quantities for the development of the organism, all in a dissolved or slightly soluble form. The easy digestibility of milk has been sufficiently proven by physiological studies. The milk coagulates rapidly in the stomach, the milk serum with the salts is partly already absorbed in the stomach.

The composition of milk in different animals shows considerable differences with regard to individual nutrients, which have an important influence on the digestibility of milk. In this direction, Lebert characterises the milk of different animals as follows:

Cow's milk is a very plastic food with a high butter content. Its simultaneous richness in nitrogenous substances and carbohydrates is a great advantage. Goat's milk is almost as concentrated as cow's milk; it is the most protein-rich milk besides sheep's milk and therefore an excellent nourisher. One quickly gets used to the unpleasant smell of goat's milk. Sheep's milk is an incredibly rich and nutritious milk that is perfectly composed for the uplift of a run-down diet. The most direct contrast to sheep's milk is found in donkey's milk, which is relatively rich in water. Its low casein content, its even lower butter content with a relatively high content of lactose and salts give it its most modest place as a nutrient, but ensure it an excellent place in therapy. It is easily digestible, promotes mild bowel movements, relatively low in albuminates and carbohydrates, and is particularly suitable for chronic breast diseases with frequent acute exacerbations and a tendency to habitual fever. Mare's milk is the richest of the five milk types; it exceeds the solid substances of sheep's milk, it is relatively low in protein, but it is the milk richest in butter, as it also exceeds the others due to its high content of lactose and salts. Its composition makes it likely that it can occupy an excellent position in respiratory diseases.

Dr. Karrell in Petersburg deserves the credit for drawing attention to the importance of a strictly methodical implementation of the milk cure.

Many people only tolerate sour milk, so-called slurry milk. This has long been known in the Orient as a means of preserving the well-being desired by ladies. By adding grated bread, the sour milk becomes more easily digestible by distributing the casein more evenly and preventing the formation of larger bales of cheese in the stomach. More recently, Preyer has been recommending acidic milk as a way of inducing healthy sleep by considering the lactic acid in the intestine to be a fatiguing substance.

The importance of milk as a food for lean, malnourished individuals emerges from the above. However, the general applicability of the milk cure to lean individuals is hampered by a number of difficulties that are difficult to overcome. First of all, milk is not a complete food for the adult, since, as we have shown above, 2905 grams of milk are needed to cover 18.3 nitrogen grams, but as much as 4652 grams of milk are needed to cover 328 grams of carbon; nitrogen-free and nitrogen-containing nutrients are therefore not present in milk in the mixing ratio that is most appropriate under normal conditions. In addition, the utilization of milk constituents in the adult intestinal tract is not as favorable as that of other animal foods. In addition, the quantities of milk provided by the Karrell method are so small that the body first suffers a loss of body components and only later, when the milk intake is increased, does it experience a more or less considerable protein build-up. A second difficulty is the reluctance of some individuals to take a methodical milk cure. By good will and overcoming oneself, it is possible in some cases to live 4-5 weeks on milk alone, but often enough an acute gastrointestinal catarrh with nausea during milk consumption requires abstraction from the continuation of the cure. Consequently, a cautious attempt must first be made, the failure of which will determine whether the milk cure can be used in a methodical manner or not.

Other cures have been mentioned: Whey, Kumys, Kefir, Weir-Mitchell cure and more...

Although these cures are by no means the end of the range of methods used against nutritional disorders, we will refrain from listing further cures, as they all aim more or less at a temporary improvement of organ development and the overall constitution. Almost every one of these treatments - if it is carried out energetically and systematically - achieves a remarkable increase in weight over a more or less long period of time, combined with a greater body fullness and increased performance. However, in most cases this success is temporary. The sick, freed from the compulsion of their cure, soon fall for the old slurry and soon regain the advantage they have gained. The weight decreases slowly but steadily, 1/4 or 1/2 year later the patients find themselves back at the position they had before the cure.

If we want to remedy this evil, it is first and foremost necessary that we prescribe a way of life for the patients which they do not feel to be a burden but to which they like to become accustomed, so that in the end they grow so close to the regulations that it is no longer possible to give them up. What, on the other hand, is compatible with their habits, on the one hand, and the cure, on the other, we have the duty to leave to them and to act as moderators and transformers only where the healing plan absolutely requires it.

This is, in a sense, the programme of the cure which we will present to the medical and lay world in the following; it has already been tried and tested in practice in a considerable number of cases; however, it is left to further experience whether and to what extent it represents a progress in our previous therapeutic endeavours.

We have seen above in the etiological part of our treatise that the development of leanness involves several moments which are to be regarded as errors of diet, of way of life in the broadest sense of the word. We have seen that in some people there is too much work, in others there is not enough sleep, in others there is insufficient nutrition, and in many others there is a combination of these different causes. It is essential that we take these circumstances into account if we are to succeed in genuinely transforming our diet. A one-sided consideration of this or that moment will not possibly have the effect on the nutritional disorder that the precise and comprehensive identification and investigation of all possible causes will have. Strict individualization, not forgetting the seemingly remote aspects, is already half the cure.

The diet is an essential part of our method, albeit not the only one. We have seen above how rarely food meets the requirements of science for a rational diet. The prosperity of the human being, the increase in strength and weight, the protein intake naturally has to suffer if the amount of nutrients supplied only meets or even remains below the minimum requirements of metabolic theory on a daily basis.

So what we must demand first and foremost is a regulation of the diet in such a way that we can expect protein and fat in individual cases, according to our modern knowledge.

As we have already seen above, Voit described the average requirement of a medium worker as 118 grams of protein and 328 grams of carbon, and Forster found the following average amounts of nutrients when determining the diet consumed by some individuals from different professions: 128 grams of protein, 84 grams of fat and 383 grams of carbohydrates. This food seems to be sufficient for healthy, vigorous individuals, but it proves to be incapable of bringing weak or lean individuals to a better nutritional state. We must demand greater amounts of all three nutrients, especially carbohydrates. We have seen above that carbohydrates play an extremely important role in the body's economy, reducing protein decomposition and protecting part of the protein from decomposition into its final products. If this is the case - and the experiments leave no doubt - it is our most important task to increase the supply of carbohydrates. We also need to increase our intake of fats, although we have to impose certain restrictions, as fat is a nutrient that is difficult to digest. That we also need to increase the amount of protein will be easy to understand. We have therefore assumed the following nutrient quantities as the basis for a rational diet of lean people: 160 grams of protein, 100 grams of fat and 500 grams of carbohydrates, which corresponds to a ratio of 1:4 (nitrogen-containing:nitrogen-free), i.e. the requirements we make of a mixed diet.

Breakfast. 8 am.
150 gr. milk coffee.

Breakfast. 10 am.
200 gr. milk
200 gr. white bread
50 gr. butter
100 gr. ham or beef

Lunch. 1 pm.
200 gr. meat broth with 2 eggs.
100 gr. vegetables (spinach, white cabbage, turnips)
100 gr. roasted beef with fatty tissue
50 gr. mashed potatoes
200 gr. white bread.
50 gr. plum or apple compote
Plus 3/10 litre export beer

Dinner. 7 pm.
150 gr. preserved veal with fat and flour
200 gr. white bread.
50 gr. mashed potatoes
50 gr. plum or apple compote
3/10 litres export beer

Summa: 1633.63 water. 162,26 Proteins. 103,24 fats. 502,69 Carbohydrates.

The diet listed in the table corresponds to those requirements which, according to our physiological experience, are necessary for the formation of fat and protein. Since the nitrogen-containing bodies are in a ratio of 1:4 to the nitrogen-free ones, the food corresponds to what we call a mixed diet. Furthermore, by considerably increasing the amount of carbohydrates compared to the norm, we have the possibility to save a part of the protein bodies, which are also increased, from decay and to use them for the organ approach. The amount of carbohydrates is contained in a form that does not cause any major digestion problems. Finally, the fats are also present in such a rich quantity that they can also be partly used for the body preparation. The table also takes into account the variety in the diet, since the preparation of meat, soup and the type of compote can to a certain extent take into account the taste of the individual without harming the diet. However, this is the end of the series of individual modifications, both in terms of the quantity and the quality of the food. If changes are to be made - and this is left to the discretion of the doctor - this presupposes precise knowledge of the composition of the food. In any case, a change may only be made in the sense that neither the ratio of nitrogen-containing to nitrogen-free bodies nor the absolute figures for the individual nutrients are significantly clouded.

There are many other interesting things in it, but it's too much to translate all, but maybe the days.

 

[maillol]

You're not going to get much done after THAT lunch.

Great find though, really interesting.

 

[Homo Consumericus]

I found a german paper about leanness from the year 1890 and I think it's great. Here are a few quotes, but attention, a translator was used:








Other cures have been mentioned: Whey, Kumys, Kefir, Weir-Mitchell cure and more...


There are many other interesting things in it, but it's too much to translate all, but maybe the days.

Interesting post. I enjoyed his perspective on fat.