= Pellagra
<Pellagra> is a disease caused by severe <vitamin B3> deficiency. Its manifestations can include sun-sensitive <dermatitis>, <diarrhea> and neurological changes, including <dementia>. These familiar “three Ds” summarize possible effects; they are not a requirement that every affected person show all three. <Vitamin B3> supplies precursors of <nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide> and <nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate>, so adequate dietary <energy> alone does not guarantee adequate support for <metabolism>.<Niacin Fact Sheet for Health Professionals by the Office of Dietary Supplements>[Introduction and Niacin Deficiency]{ref}
In 1915, <Joseph Goldberger> and <G. A. Wheeler> tested a restricted, cereal-heavy diet at a Mississippi prison farm. At least six of eleven remaining volunteers developed signs judged to be <pellagra> within five months; none were observed among the comparison prisoners. The reported menu supplied about 2,952 calories per man per day, making the contrast between calories and dietary composition especially revealing. Prisoners were offered pardons for participation; allocation was not described as randomized.<Experimental Pellagra in the Human Subject Brought About by a Restricted Diet by Joseph Goldberger and G. A. Wheeler>[pp.3336–3339, Experiment, Controls, Results and Conclusion]{ref}
The experiment supported a dietary cause under its conditions. It did not identify the missing <molecule> chemically: demonstrating that a restricted diet produces a disease and identifying the specific <vitamin> are different experimental achievements.
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