Life — April 5, 1929 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Stimulants, Sedatives or Food ~ from a Health Standpoint serious consequences. When stimulants, sed- atives or drugs are substituted for the food needed to build health and strength, the penalty is certain and severe—frequently broken health and sometimes death. r [= desire for extreme slenderness is bringin; Half-truths are often more dangerous than false- hoods. While it is true that an excess of fat is undesirable and frequently dangerous in the later years of life, it is not true that young people— under thirty years of age—can ordinarily expect to have good health if they avoid wholesome body- building foods and persist in a rigid “re- ducing” diet. There are certainly more cases of tuberculosis among young “underweights™ than there are among those of normal weight. During childhood and the early adult years, Nature demands a bodily reserve upon which she can draw in time of need to fight disease. In youth a few pounds of excess weight are a valuable protection against physical break- down. The sacrifice of this needed tissue may result in permanent injury, although the accounting may not come until years later. Despite the claims of faddists and selfish inter- The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company has -y/=" the privilege of consulting famous specialists on -* important questions of health. While the Metro- “ politan wishes to point out most emphatically the danger of too strenuous dieting at the earlier ages, it also wishes to stress, no less emphatically, the danger of overweight at the older ages. ests, there is no mystery today in what constitutes an intelligent diet. The doctor who would not hesitate to prescribe a stimulant or a sedative in case of emergency, would forbid their use in place of needed foods. A famous health expert was asked bluntly, “Do you think stimulants are harmful to everybody, no matter in what degree the stimulants are used?” He said, “Not always, but everyone should try to put himself in such fit physical condition that he will not need or desire artificial stimulation. The hunger for stimulants is an indication of weakness and evidence of improper diet or other in- correct living habits.” Certain practices trick the appetite and dull the desire for nourishing food. When the de- mands of a normal appetite are too frequently denied, the appetite may be lost and food be made repugnant. Perhaps it is too late to talk to older people stubbornly set in wrong habits, but if the fathers and mothers of tomorrow will eat properly, exercise properly, work properly, sleep, breathe, stand, walk—yes—and think properly, they and their children will have better health and longer lives. Our booklet, “Overweight”, tells the best methods + to control these evils. It also tells what you should weigh considering your age and height. Ask for : Booklet 59-F which will be mailed free. Address | Booklet Department, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, N. Y. METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY~NEW YORK Biggest in the World, More Assets, More Policyholders, More Insurance in force, More new Insurance each year comicbooks.com