Why did pellagra erupt about the year 1900 in the US?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: Why did pellagra erupt around the year 1900 in the US?
Analysis of the (present) option: 'Roller milling to produce flour was introduced shortly before (in the 1880s)'.
- This statement points to a historical dietary change: the transition from stone-ground to roller-milled flour, which produced highly refined white flour.
- The refined flour lacks certain nutrients, particularly niacin (vitamin B3) and tryptophan, that are more abundant in whole-grain products. As a result, populations consuming heavily refined maize- or corn-based diets without adequate niacin intake became susceptible to pellagra.
- The timeline fits: roller milling became widespread in the late 19th century, and pellagra outbreaks rose toward the early 1900s as these dietary patterns spread and entrenched, especially in the Southern United States where maize-based diets were common and processed flour use increased.
- Mechanistically, pellagra arises from niacin deficiency or impaired niacin availability; diets reliant on corn can be deficient unless nixtamalization or supplementation occurs. Roller milling exacerbated this by removing niacin-rich parts of the grain.
- Therefore, the proposed answer aligns with historical nutrition science: industrial milling practices reduced niacin intake and contributed to pellagra epidemics around 1900. 
Why this explanation makes sense given the question: it directly links a specific dietary processing change (roller milling) to a nutrient deficiency that causes pellagra, and the timing corresponds to the observed eruption around 1900.
Note on completeness: since no other options are provided for comparison, we cannot assess alternatives, but the provided statement is consistent with established historical nutrition evidence and the rise of pellagra in the United States during that era.

11:709:255:01 NUTRITION AND HEALTH Lecture Quiz 1 - DRI Quiz S2025

Why did pellagra erupt about the year 1900 in the US?

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