Africans' Malnutrition
- Africa’s Malnutrition/Underdevelopment/diseases:The Role of Maize in Kwashiorkor, Marasmus and Pellagra.
The biggest eyesore that defines modern Sub-Sahara Africans (SSAns) today is malnutrition: both childhood and by extension, adult malnutrition. The mass media is full of images of childhood malnutrition and extreme deprivation, including frequent images of overt starvation even in adults. Maize is the dietary staple for most communities across SSA. But maize (corn), wherever it has been domesticated as a significant part of the daily diet causes ... (Click here to read text in full)
- The Politics, Geography, Economics and Health impacts of Maize in Africa: Poverty, Disease, Deaths.
In 1730, an Italian doctor, Dr. Gaspal Casar diagnosed a “new disease” among his poor patients which he described as “mal de la Rosa”. Later, the disease came to be known as “the disease of 4Ds: dermatitis, diarrhea and dementia, and death”. A link to maize as the dietary staple was made. This recognition reduced the value of maize as a human food, but elevated its role as animal feed.
On the African continent, maize had been introduced as a food crop during the slaving years in the 15th century. The discories made in Europe about maize did not affect the status of maize as a food crop on the continent. Unfortunately for Africa, the entrenchment of maize in the African diet has ... (Click here to read text in full)
email Dr Nelly at dr_nelly@nutritionafrica.com.
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