The possibility of dietary protective factors in duodenal ulcer. II. An investigation into the effect of pre-feeding with different diets and of instillation of foodstuffs into the stomach on the incidence of ulcers in pylorus-ligated rats.

Rats pre-fed on a South Indian diet show a much higher incidence of ulceration of the stomach after pyloric ligation than those on a North Indian diet. Removing vegetables and pulses from the North Indian diet deprives it of its protective effect. Staple foodstuffs with a high buffer content (unmilled rice, unrefined wheat and a millet [ragi]) placed in the stomach after pyloric ligation are also protective, but those with a low buffer content (milled rice, tapioca, sorghum and maize) are not protective. Refined wheat, however, gives protection despite its low buffer content. The significance of these findings in relationship to the distribution of duodenal ulcer in India and Africa is discussed.