Food for high-altitude expeditions: Pugh got it right in 1954--a commentary on the report by L.G.C.E. Pugh: "Himalayan rations with special reference to the 1953 expedition to Mount Everest".
An examination of the nutritional recommendations at altitude by L.G.C.E. Pugh made in the early 1950s reveals that his approaches to feeding and hydration at altitude are still ascribed to today, 50 years later. We can forgive his one perhaps overstatement concerning the "craving" for carbohydrates at altitude if we simply acknowledge that he was generally correct about the benefits of carbohydrates for work at altitude. Pugh's emphasis on adequate energy intake and fluid intake at altitude is as sound today as it was in 1954.
Askew
E Wayne
EW
Division of Foods and Nutrition, University of Utah, 210 N-HPR, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. wayne.askew@health.utah.edu
D000064:Acclimatization; D005101:Expeditions / Q000266:history; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000266:history; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009051:Mountaineering / Q000266:history*; D009390:Nepal; D009751:Nutritional Requirements