1934 — Pellagra (vitamin B3/niacin malnutrition); international list #62, Census Bur. — 3,602

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 12-16-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–3,602  Bureau of the Census, US Dept. of Commerce. Mortality Statistics 1934, Table I, p. 14.

Narrative Information

Cleaveland Clinic: “Pellagra is a systemic disease caused by a severe deficiency of niacin (vitamin B3). It affects the whole body and can eventually lead to death. Primary pellagra is caused by a lack of niacin in your diet. It usually occurs in poor and food-limited populations. Secondary pellagra can occur when your body is unable to absorb the niacin you eat….It’s a form of malnutrition – specifically, micronutrient undernutrition. Niacin is crucial to cell functioning throughout your body, and the lack of it shows up in symptoms throughout your body, including your skin, mouth, bowels and brain. If left untreated, pellagra can cause lasting damage to your nervous system and even death.

 

“Niacin is found in many food sources, and most people who eat a balanced diet get enough of it. But primary pellagra — from inadequate dietary intake — is still a significant problem in impoverished and food-limited populations. In the industrialized world, niacin deficiency is more likely to occur from secondary causes — from health conditions or substances that prevent your body from absorbing or using niacin.

 

“Your body uses niacin (vitamin B3) to convert food calories into energy. The niacin you eat is absorbed through your small intestine into your body tissues, where it’s converted to a coenzyme called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). A coenzyme is an enzyme agent. It works together with enzymes to catalyze chemical reactions. More than 400 different enzymes in your body depend on coenzyme NAD to function.

 

“Coenzyme NAD helps transfer the potential energy in macronutrients — carbohydrates, proteins and fats — into the kind of energy your cells can use (adenosine triphosphate, or ATP). Your cells depend on it for energy to function, and body systems with higher energy requirements depend on it more. NAD is also involved in a variety of specific cellular functions, including DNA repair and cellular communication.

 

“Prevention:

 

“A well-balanced diet is the simplest way to ensure adequate nutrition. When food choices are limited, enriched foods and dietary supplements can help. A B-complex vitamin supplement provides enough niacin for most healthy adults. The recommended daily dose of niacin is about 15 milligrams. The best food sources of niacin are:

 

  • Beef liver.
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  • Brewer’s yeast.
  • Enriched bread and cereals.
  • Oily fish, such as salmon and tuna.
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  • Sunflower seeds.
  • Spaghetti sauce.”

Sources

 

Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. Mortality Statistics 1934. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1936. Accessed 12-16-2024 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsushistorical/mortstatsh_1934.pdf

 

Cleaveland Clinic. Pellagra (webpage). Accessed 11-27-2024 at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23905-pellagra