I've heard the decline in schizophrenia attributed to a lack of wheat in
the diet during that period.  Gluten peptides are thought to produce
neurological disorders (depression, schizophrenia, etc.)(I know they do for
me!).  For a good discussion of this general topic see the article by Ron
Hoggan and James Braly:
http://depression.about.com/health/depression/library/weekly/aa071299.htm?te
rms=hoggan&PM=113_300_T (the address changes weekly, so search the authors
if you can't find it directly at that address).

>"The most clearly documented example of what happens when a society returns
>to a traditional diet occurred by chance in Norway during World war II.
>The incidence of schizophrenia, cancer and heart disease had doubled in
>that country after 1900, when Norwegians abandoned their traditional diet
>in favor of processed foods. Yet in the early 1940s, the incidence of these
>illnesses declined a startling 40 percent. That decline coincided exactly
>with the years of hardship during the German Occupation of Norway.
>   What happened to the Norwegian diet during those terrible years?
>Because of the occupation, processed and refined foods were scarce, forcing
>the Norwegians 5to revert to eating traditional foods. Beans, whole grains,
>and fish--once staples in the diet--again became daily fare.  Scientists
>who studied the phenomenon, which I call the Norwegian notch, found that
>40-percent decrease in schizophrenia, heart disease, and cancer coincided
>with a 50-percent increase in consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids. Fiber
>consumption probably also increased, and we know margarine consumption fell
>to very low levels.
>    After the war, the Norwegians reverted to eating commercial and
>processed foods. Rates of heart disease and schizophrenia soon climbed back
>to prewar levels."
>
>**I would think that the reporting of health conditions during that time
>was not the best, but it is still very interesting.
>
>Bob


Mary Thorpe
Teaching Support Specialist
Nutritional Science
MVR 3M07, 353
255-8769