asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether his attention has been directed to the published work of McCance, of Cambridge, on the effect of phytic acid in bread made of 100 per cent. extraction wheaten flour on calcium metabolism; and whether he will arrange to have adequate quantities of calcium added to flour manufacture in Ireland, in order to overcome the nutritional dangers consequent on calcium insufficiency in the national diet.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Addition of Calcium to Flour.
The work has come under notice in connection with the examination of the question which has been proceeding in my Department. In so far as the examination has progressed, the case for the addition of calcium to flour does not in the present state of our knowledge appear to have been established.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary address his mind further to this problem, in view of the fact that he seems to be the only medical man left in western Europe to whose mind conviction has not been carried by the work referred to in the question? Is he aware that the millers in this country have not only forborne from adding calcium phosphate to bread, but have reduced the quantity of it which hitherto they were putting into bread? In view of these facts, will he review the information in the Department and bring himself up-to-date in regard to the effect of phytic acid on calcium?
The Deputy is very poorly informed on this question, and when he suggests to the House that I am the only medical man in Western Europe who holds the view that it is undesirable and perhaps dangerous to fortify flour with calcium, he is stating what is entirely untrue. I could quote many medical men of standing, nutritional experts, who very definitely hold the view that calcium ought not be added to our flour, and the Deputy should not make these sweeping statements without fully informing himself before coming in to raise questions like this.
Arising out of that reply, I fully informed myself on the matter, and I want to know whether the Department of Local Government and Public Health of this country is aware that there is now a danger of calcium deficiency in the diet of our people, and, if the Department will not accept the remedy of adding sufficient calcium phosphate to the flour, have they any alternative plan for remedying the nutritional deficiency in our diet which has resulted from the 100 per cent. extraction in the case of wheaten flour? Will the Parliamentary Secretary admit that there is a serious problem created as a result of that?
There is no clinical evidence available of the adverse effect of high extraction or that the problem would be solved by the addition of calcium to the flour. There is no evidence available to that effect, either in this country or in Great Britain.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the work which has been published by McCance and his colleagues in the last six weeks established beyond all reasonable doubt—perhaps not clinically, but by laboratory tests and work that would carry conviction to the mind of the average, rational research student— that there is a real danger as a result of a calcium deficiency?
When the Deputy speaks of "average rational research student" he talks nonsense again. It is not possible to deal with this matter by question and answer, but I could quote for the Deputy the opinions of nutritional experts of European reputation which are in entire disagreement with those of the Deputy.