The rice and sugar diet from the 1930s

 *I have posted on this information prior, but this 'diet' is becoming a widely used tool. 

The rice and sugar diet from the 1930s refers to a therapeutic dietary protocol developed by Dr. Walter Kempner, a German-American physician and researcher at Duke University. It became known as the “Rice Diet” and was first introduced in 1939.

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🔹 What Was the Rice Diet?

The original Rice Diet was extremely low in:

• Fat
• Protein
• Sodium
• Cholesterol

And high in:

• Carbohydrates (from white rice, fruit, and refined sugar)

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🔹 Basic Composition:

The basic daily diet consisted of:

• White rice (unseasoned, plain)
• Fruit (fresh or canned, unsweetened)
• Fruit juices
• White sugar (added to increase calories and maintain weight)
• Supplements (later added to prevent deficiencies)

This diet could provide anywhere from 800 to 1200 calories per day, later modified based on patient response.

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🔹 Purpose:

Dr. Kempner originally used it to treat:

• Malignant hypertension
• Kidney disease
• Heart disease
• Obesity
• Diabetes (Type 2)

He believed that a severely restricted, low-sodium, low-protein diet reduced the workload on kidneys and blood vessels and helped with cardiovascular repair.

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🔹 Why So Much Sugar?

Surprisingly, refined sugar was added to help:

• Meet caloric needs (especially in underweight or catabolic patients)
• Prevent muscle breakdown from starvation
• Make the otherwise bland diet more tolerable

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🔹 Outcomes:

• Many patients experienced dramatic reductions in blood pressure.
• Some reversed signs of kidney damage and heart failure.
• The results were seen as miraculous at the time, especially before widespread use of antihypertensive medications.

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🔹 Controversy:

• Modern critics point out the nutrient deficiencies and potential issues with excessive sugar intake.
• However, Kempner documented significant therapeutic success, especially for cases considered untreatable in the pre-pharmaceutical era.

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🔹 Modern Legacy:

Though now mostly obsolete in medical practice, Kempner's Rice Diet laid the groundwork for:

• Modern plant-based therapeutic diets
• Nutritional reversal of chronic diseases
• Interest in low-sodium, low-fat, and whole-foods interventions

There was even a “Rice Diet Clinic” in Durham, North Carolina, which operated until 2013.

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