Nutrition Problems in Tropical Areas

There is very little exact information on nutritional requirements in the tropics. Man seems to have prospered and to have attained a better state of well-being in the regions of temperate climate, and these are the areas where his alimentary needs have been intensively studied. Studies so far indicate however that the nutritional requirements, except as noted in a later paragraph, do not differ very greatly from temperate zone standards. Among recent articles concerned with the problem of tropical nutrition should be mentioned those by Van Veen (1951) and by Mayer (1951).The tropics usually involve high temperature and high humidity, both of which not only influence physical comfort and physical activity, but also provide an environment characterized by increased microbial and parasitic activity. These in turn are related to ill health and malnutrition. There are also certain specifically nutritional diseases which flourish in the tropics.