Adelle Davis
Encyclopedia
Daisie Adelle Davis popularly known as Adelle Davis, was an American
author and nutritionist
who became well-known as an advocate for specific nutrition
al stances such as unprocessed food and vitamin
supplementation. She gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s with widespread media attention and became the most recognized nutritionist in the country. Despite her popularity, she was heavily criticized by her peers for many recommendations she made that were not supported by the scientific literature, some of which were considered dangerous.
, USA, on February 25, 1904. She studied Home Economics
at Purdue University
from 1923 to 1925 and received her Bachelor of Arts
degree in Household Studies from the University of California at Berkeley
in 1927. After receiving dietetic training at Bellevue and Fordham Hospitals in New York
, she supervised nutrition for Yonkers Public Schools as well as consulted as a nutritionist for New York obstetricians.
From 1931 through 1958, Davis was a private consulting nutritionist in Oakland
and Los Angeles, California
. She received her Master of Science degree in Biochemistry
from the University of Southern California
. In October 1943, Davis married George Edward Leisey, and adopted his two children, George and Barbara, though she never had children of her own. She divorced George Leisey in 1953 and married a retired accountant and lawyer named Frank Sieglinger in 1960.
Davis gained notoriety initially speaking on the lecture circuit on college campuses as well as in Latin America and Europe, and eventually became sought after for guest appearances on television talk show programming.
In 1973 Adelle Davis was diagnosed with multiple myeloma
and later died of the same disease in 1974 in her home at the age of seventy.
Davis wrote a series of four books, starting with a cookbook in 1947, that ultimately sold over 10 million copies in total. Although her ideas were considered somewhat eccentric in the 1940s and 1950s, the change in culture with the 1960s brought her ideas, especially her anti-food processing
and food industry
charges, into the mainstream in a time when anti-authority sentiment was growing. She also contributed to, as well as benefited from, the rise of a nutritional and health food movement that began in the 1950s, which focused on subjects such as pesticide residues and food additives, a movement her critics would come to term food faddism
. During the 1960s and 1970s, her popularity continued to grow, as she was featured in multiple media reports, variously described as an "oracle
" by the New York Times, "high priestess" by Life and was compared to Ralph Nader
, the popular consumer activist, by the Associated Press
. Her celebrity was demonstrated by her repeated guest appearances on The Johnny Carson Show
, as she became the most popular and influential nutritionist in the country.
A significant part of her appeal came from her credentials, including her university training, and her apparent application of scientific studies and principles to her writing, with one book totaling over 2100 footnotes and citations. Some of her nutritional ideas such as the need for exercise, the dangers of vitamin deficiencies as well as the need to avoid hydrogenated fat, saturated fat
and excess sugar
consumption remain relevant to even modern nutritionists. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy
commended her views in 1998 as well, in remarks meant to support a law protecting speech on food safety from the threat of lawsuits.
commenting that her works were "at best a half truth." While lauded for her ability to open the public to the concept of science in nutrition, she was nevertheless heavily criticized for misusing the science in her nutritional works to come to "ridiculous conclusions," especially in light of her scientific training. Amongst the many views not supported by nutritionists include her view that not only physical health but mental and social ills could be cured with the proper diet, stating alcoholism
, crime
, suicide
and divorce
were the product of mere poor diet. Although she was very popular with the public in general in the 1970s, none of her books were recommended by any significant nutritional professional society of the time. Independent review of the superficially impressive large number of citations to the scientific literature in her books found that the citations often either misquoted the scientific literature or was contradicted by or unsupported by the proposed citation, and that errors in the book averaged at least one per page. One review noted that only 30 of 170 citations in a sample taken from one chapter accurately supported the assertions in her book. Additionally, the 1969 White House
Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health labelled her probably the single most harmful source of false nutritional information.
Most concerning to physicians and nutritionists who reviewed her work was not only the scientific inaccuracies, but the dangerous, and "potentially lethal," recommendations that appeared in her books. Examples of these concerning recommendations include the recommendation to give potassium
supplements to patients with nephrosis
and the recommendation for large doses of vitamin A
and vitamin D
. This recommendation for vitamin A supplement was followed by a mother of a young girl who subsequently developed permanently stunted growth. A lawsuit
filed for the child was ultimately settled out of court with the estate
of Davis for the sum of $150,000. A separate case report
in 1971 with a child given vitamin A supplements and becoming significantly ill ended with a better outcome when those dietary supplements were stopped and the child recovered. In 1978, the parents of a child with colic
followed the advice of Davis, which was based on a misrepresentation of study about hospitalized children with a different condition (gastroenteritis
). These parents gave the child potassium supplementation for this condition and the child subsequently died. A lawsuit by the parents against Davis' estate, the book's publisher, and the supplement manufacturers ended with an out-of-court settlement of $160,000.
Other publications:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and nutritionist
Nutritionist
A nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical...
who became well-known as an advocate for specific nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
al stances such as unprocessed food and vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
supplementation. She gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s with widespread media attention and became the most recognized nutritionist in the country. Despite her popularity, she was heavily criticized by her peers for many recommendations she made that were not supported by the scientific literature, some of which were considered dangerous.
Background
Adelle Davis was born to Charles and Harriette Davis in Lizton, IndianaLizton, Indiana
Lizton is a town in Union Township, Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was 488 at the 2010 Census. It is one of the three towns that make up North West Hendricks School Corporation....
, USA, on February 25, 1904. She studied Home Economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
from 1923 to 1925 and received her Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Household Studies from the University of California at Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1927. After receiving dietetic training at Bellevue and Fordham Hospitals in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, she supervised nutrition for Yonkers Public Schools as well as consulted as a nutritionist for New York obstetricians.
From 1931 through 1958, Davis was a private consulting nutritionist in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. She received her Master of Science degree in Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. In October 1943, Davis married George Edward Leisey, and adopted his two children, George and Barbara, though she never had children of her own. She divorced George Leisey in 1953 and married a retired accountant and lawyer named Frank Sieglinger in 1960.
Davis gained notoriety initially speaking on the lecture circuit on college campuses as well as in Latin America and Europe, and eventually became sought after for guest appearances on television talk show programming.
In 1973 Adelle Davis was diagnosed with multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
and later died of the same disease in 1974 in her home at the age of seventy.
Health and nutrition work
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
and food industry
Food industry
The food production is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population...
charges, into the mainstream in a time when anti-authority sentiment was growing. She also contributed to, as well as benefited from, the rise of a nutritional and health food movement that began in the 1950s, which focused on subjects such as pesticide residues and food additives, a movement her critics would come to term food faddism
Food faddism
The phrases food faddism and fad diet originally referred to idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns that promote short-term weight loss, usually with no concern for long-term weight maintenance, and enjoy temporary popularity...
. During the 1960s and 1970s, her popularity continued to grow, as she was featured in multiple media reports, variously described as an "oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
" by the New York Times, "high priestess" by Life and was compared to Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
, the popular consumer activist, by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. Her celebrity was demonstrated by her repeated guest appearances on The Johnny Carson Show
The Johnny Carson Show
The Johnny Carson Show is a 1955-56 half hour prime time television variety show starring Johnny Carson.While working as a staff writer on The Red Skelton Show , local Los Angeles television comedian Johnny Carson filled in as host when Skelton was injured during a show rehearsal...
, as she became the most popular and influential nutritionist in the country.
A significant part of her appeal came from her credentials, including her university training, and her apparent application of scientific studies and principles to her writing, with one book totaling over 2100 footnotes and citations. Some of her nutritional ideas such as the need for exercise, the dangers of vitamin deficiencies as well as the need to avoid hydrogenated fat, saturated fat
Saturated fat
Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the individual carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. That is, the chain of carbon atoms is fully "saturated" with hydrogen atoms...
and excess sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
consumption remain relevant to even modern nutritionists. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy
Patrick Leahy
Patrick Joseph Leahy is the senior United States Senator from Vermont and member of the Democratic Party. He is the first and only elected Democratic United States Senator in Vermont's history. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy is the second most senior U.S. Senator,...
commended her views in 1998 as well, in remarks meant to support a law protecting speech on food safety from the threat of lawsuits.
Scientific criticism
Despite her celebrity, Davis received significant and strong criticism from fellow nutritionists, with one reviewLiterature review
A literature review is a body of text that aims to review the critical points of current knowledge including substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic...
commenting that her works were "at best a half truth." While lauded for her ability to open the public to the concept of science in nutrition, she was nevertheless heavily criticized for misusing the science in her nutritional works to come to "ridiculous conclusions," especially in light of her scientific training. Amongst the many views not supported by nutritionists include her view that not only physical health but mental and social ills could be cured with the proper diet, stating alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
, suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
and divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
were the product of mere poor diet. Although she was very popular with the public in general in the 1970s, none of her books were recommended by any significant nutritional professional society of the time. Independent review of the superficially impressive large number of citations to the scientific literature in her books found that the citations often either misquoted the scientific literature or was contradicted by or unsupported by the proposed citation, and that errors in the book averaged at least one per page. One review noted that only 30 of 170 citations in a sample taken from one chapter accurately supported the assertions in her book. Additionally, the 1969 White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health labelled her probably the single most harmful source of false nutritional information.
Most concerning to physicians and nutritionists who reviewed her work was not only the scientific inaccuracies, but the dangerous, and "potentially lethal," recommendations that appeared in her books. Examples of these concerning recommendations include the recommendation to give potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
supplements to patients with nephrosis
Nephrosis
Nephrosis refers to a non-inflammatory nephropathy.It should not be confused with nephritis, where inflammation is implied. However, some sources equate nephrosis with nephropathy.It can also be used to indicate an emphasis on the renal tubule....
and the recommendation for large doses of vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
and vitamin D
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids. In humans, vitamin D is unique both because it functions as a prohormone and because the body can synthesize it when sun exposure is adequate ....
. This recommendation for vitamin A supplement was followed by a mother of a young girl who subsequently developed permanently stunted growth. A lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
filed for the child was ultimately settled out of court with the estate
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
of Davis for the sum of $150,000. A separate case report
Case report
In medicine, a case report is a detailed report of the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an individual patient. Case reports may contain a demographic profile of the patient, but usually describe an unusual or novel occurrence....
in 1971 with a child given vitamin A supplements and becoming significantly ill ended with a better outcome when those dietary supplements were stopped and the child recovered. In 1978, the parents of a child with colic
Colic
Colic is a form of pain which starts and stops abruptly. Types include:*Baby colic, a condition, usually in infants, characterized by incessant crying*Renal colic, a pain in the flank, characteristic of kidney stones...
followed the advice of Davis, which was based on a misrepresentation of study about hospitalized children with a different condition (gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water...
). These parents gave the child potassium supplementation for this condition and the child subsequently died. A lawsuit by the parents against Davis' estate, the book's publisher, and the supplement manufacturers ended with an out-of-court settlement of $160,000.
Publications
Books on nutrition:
- Optimum Health (1935)
- You Can Stay Well (1939)
- Vitality Through Planned Nutrition (1942)
- Let's Cook it Right (1947)
- Let's Have Healthy Children (1951), ISBN 0-451-05346-X
- Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit (1954)
- Let's Get Well (1965), ISBN 0-15-150372-9
Other publications:
- Exploring Inner Space: Personal Experiences Under LSD-25 (1961) - published under the pen namePen nameA pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Jane Dunlap, describing her experience with lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD.