M
Yes, indians of the american southwest use a lime solution for their corn
meal to avoid this problem.
>If I remember my biochemistry right, the reason pellagra occurs in groups
>who consume a lot of corn is that the corn is their major source of
>protein and corn is deficient in tryptophan. One of the more minor
>metabolic pathways for tryptophan leads to nicotinic acid (a form of
>niacin) and is capable of supplying about half the daily requirement of
>niacin (note that "vitamin" doesn't imply "can't be synthesized by the
>body at all" but merely "can't be synthesized by the body in adequate
>amounts"). People whose diet has corn as its major protein source
>generally don't consume many dietary sources of niacin as such. In
>short, they're malnourished. Increasing the amount of corn in the diet
>of a person who isn't malnourished will *not* cause a niacin deficiency.
meal to avoid this problem.
>If I remember my biochemistry right, the reason pellagra occurs in groups
>who consume a lot of corn is that the corn is their major source of
>protein and corn is deficient in tryptophan. One of the more minor
>metabolic pathways for tryptophan leads to nicotinic acid (a form of
>niacin) and is capable of supplying about half the daily requirement of
>niacin (note that "vitamin" doesn't imply "can't be synthesized by the
>body at all" but merely "can't be synthesized by the body in adequate
>amounts"). People whose diet has corn as its major protein source
>generally don't consume many dietary sources of niacin as such. In
>short, they're malnourished. Increasing the amount of corn in the diet
>of a person who isn't malnourished will *not* cause a niacin deficiency.