Possible dietary protective factors in relation to the distribution of duodenal ulcer in India and Bangladesh.

In India there are regions of high incidence and regions of low incidence of duodenal ulcer. Rats prefed for two weeks on diets from low incidence areas developed significantly fewer rumenal ulcers after pyloric ligation than rats fed on diets from high incidence areas. The protective action was found in various individual items of food taken from the diets of low incidence areas. Unrefined wheat and rice, certain pulses (black gram, green gram, horse gram), some millets (sava, kutki, ragi), soya bean, ladies' fingers, cabbage, spinach, and whole cream milk were protective. Refined wheat, polished rice, maize, cornflour, sorghum vulgare, sugar, bananas, amaranthus, brinjal, peanut oil, some pulses (Bengal gram, turdhal), and skimmed milk were non-protective. The protective factor seems to be either a lipid or a liposoluble substance which is active whether given orally or parenterally. Horse gram (Dolichos biflorus) is a particularly potent source.