# The dangers of corn

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-corn/516549>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [November 6, 2009, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-corn/516549 "2009-11-06T11:26:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RogerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ba0ec/32.png) [@RogerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogerH)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-corn/516549/1 "2009-11-06T11:26:59Z")

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The article [Does the camera really add ten pounds? Plus: Is there any nutritional value in eating corn? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2905/does-the-camera-really-add-ten-pounds-plus) has a tack-on about eating corn. Many years ago, I remember my nutrition professor telling us of the horrors which befel those for whom corn (maize) was the main source of nutrition, the disease is pelegra and is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B3 (niacin). The charactaristics are “disease, dementia and death”. There is a good article at [Pellagra - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellagra)

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-corn/516549/2 "2009-11-06T14:35:56Z")

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Yeah, I thought when I read the article title Cecil would get around to nixtamalization. It’s such a cool word: nixtamalization. You’d think that the World’s Smartest Human would use any excuse to drop it. It’s not like the guy has never wandered away from the original question before.

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-corn/516549/3 "2009-11-06T20:40:03Z")

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**RogerH** said:

> [@](#):
>
> The dangers of corn

The question wasn’t really about what happens if you only eat corn, or what nutrients corn is deficient in. It was about if there was any digestable content in corn at all.  
**ftg** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Yeah, I thought when I read the article title Cecil would get around to nixtamalization.

That probably would have been a fair topic to address. The thing is, nixtamalization makes corn (i.e. hominy) taste like ass\*.

* * *

\*Okay, I haven’t tasted ass, but hominy tastes like I imagine ass must taste.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-corn/516549/4 "2009-11-06T21:42:57Z")

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> [@Irishman](#):
>
> That probably would have been a fair topic to address. The thing is, nixtamalization makes corn (i.e. hominy) taste like ass.

Hominy tastes that way because it was crappy corn to begin with. Nachos, tortillas\*, etc. use nixtamalized corn and actually taste good.

- Tortillas are of course made with corn. Any other grain makes something that also tastes of aft regions.