Nutrition in the United States, 1900 to 1974¹

Food and nutrient intakes are being examined for possible relationship to the occurrence or the progress of various types of cancer in man. This paper describes the state of our knowledge on the nutritional status of various population groups in the United States and on the food consumption patterns and their nutritional consequences during the 1900's. Only a few medical studies of nutritional status have been conducted on a national or even a regional basis. These extend back less than 2 decades. Dietary information is available back to the 1930's, and statistical data on use of food in the United States can be found beginning with 1909. Sources of information are suggested for the use of and detailed study by the epidemiologist.