Dietéticos, alimentos-medicamentos y especialidades farmacéuticas, durante la década de los años 40 del siglo XX: desarrollo legislativo y análisis de productos / Dietetic products, therapeutical foods and other pharmaceutical items during de 40s in the 20th century: legal development and product analysis

RESUMEN

Fundamentos Durante la década de los años 40 se introdujeron en la legislación española normativas encaminadas a ordenar el sector de los productos dietéticos, diferenciando los alimentos propiamente dichos pero con un valor dietético, de aquellos con propiedades terapéuticas o aplicaciones especiales. En este trabajo se ha realizado un análisis de los productos dietéticos existentes en España en la década de 1940. Material y método: Se ha procedido al análisis de los productos dietéticos existentes en el mercado español en la década de 1940 a partir de los datos que figuran en la primera edición del Diccionario Español de Especialidades Farmacéuticas CDEDEF) del año 1946. Resultados: Se han analizado un total de 326 especialidades, de las cuales un 20,2 % se declaran como alimentos, un 8,6 % como "alimento dietético" y únicamente un 1,8% como alimento-medicamento. Se concedía mayor importancia al enriquecimiento con minerales (35%) en comparación con el vitamínico (8%).EI 67% de las especialidades se definen como alimentos (alimentos completos, alimentos vegetales, reconstituyentes, tónicos, etc.) y un 40,5% como adecuados para estados carenciales (básicamente raquitismo y anemia). Conclusiones: Durante este período era relativamente habitual la preparación de productos dietéticos por parte de laboratorios no especializados de forma exclusiva a los mismos. Se observa un elevado grado de confusión terminológico y también en cuanto a las propiedades y características de los productos (AU)

ABSTRACT

Bakcground During the 40s new legal developments and norms were introduced in Spanish law in order to regulate the sector of dietetic products and supplements, identifying foods with a dietetic added value from those with therapeutical properties or especial indications. In this paper an analysis of existing dietetic products in the Spanish market in the 40s presented. Methods: An analysis of existing dietetic products in the Spanish market in the 40s was conductes. Products were identified based on the first edition of the Spanish dictionary of Pharmaceutical products published in 1946. Results: A total of 326 different products were identified and included in this analysis. 20,2% were classified as foods; 8,6% as "dietetic foods" and only 1,8% as therapeutical foods. Foods fortified with minerals were more frequent (35%) than those fortified with vitamins (8%).67% of the products were defined as foods (complete foods, vegetable foods, invigorating foods, tonics, etc.) and 40,5% were defined as adequate for deficiency situations, basically rickets and anemia. Conclusions: Dietetic products were common pharmaceutical specialties in the 40s in Spain. These products were often manufactured by non-specific pharmaceutical companies. Terms and specific names were often confused in relation to product properties and charateristics (AU)