potential from improved diet is preventative in that they may defer or modify the development of a disease state so that a clinical condition does not develop. The major research thrust, nationwide, has been on the role of diet in treating health problems after they have developed. This approach has had limited success. USDA research emphasis has been placed on food needs of normal healthy persons and findings from this work have contributed much of the existing knowledge on their dietary requirements.

Benefits would be shared by all.-Benefits from better nutrition, made possible by improved diets, would be available to the entire population. Each age, sex, ethnic economic and geographic segment would be benefited. The lower economic population groups would benefit most from effective application of current knowledge.

These savings are only a small part of what might be accomplished for the entire population from research yet to be done. Some of the improvements can be expressed as dollar benefits to individuals or to the nation. The social and personal benefits are harder to quantify and describe. It is difficult to place a dollar figure on the avoidance of pain or the loss of a family member; satisfactions from healthy, emotionally adjusted families; career achievement; and the opportunity to enjoy leisure time.

Major health benefits are long range. Predictions of the extent to which diet may be involved in the development of various health problems have been based on current knowledge of metabolic pathways of nutrients, but primarily of abnormal metabolic pathways developed by persons in advanced stages of disease. There is little understanding of when or why these metabolic changes take place. The human body is a complex and very adaptive mechanism. For most essential metabolic processes alternate pathways exist which can be utilized in response to physiological, dietary or other stress. Frequently, a series of adjustments take place and the ultimate result does not become apparent for a long time, even years, when a metabolite such as cholesterol accumulates. Early adjustment of diet could prevent the development of undesirable long-range effects. Minor changes in diet and food habits instituted at an early age might well avoid the need for major changes, difficult to adopt later in life.

The original document is over 70 pages. You may be able to find it in the stacks in the library of a large university as I did.
I retained the page numbering at the top of the pages from the original.