Vitamins In The Prevention Of Human Diseases

Vitamins - especially B- and D-vitamins - influence the development and outcome of many neurodegenerative and other diseases. Among others, dementia, neural tube defects, epilepsy, and osteoporoses can be caused by vitamin deficiency. This book provides up-to-date knowledge on the role of water and fat soluble vitamins in the prevention of human diseases. Having knowledge about the association of vitamins and disease, as well as keeping track on the patients vitamin status has become increasingly important to every physician and clinical chemist.

Results from the National Research Council's (NRC) landmark study Diet and health are readily accessible to nonscientists in this friendly, easy-to-read guide. Readers will find the heart of the book in the first chapter: the Food and Nutrition Board's nine-point dietary plan to reduce the risk of diet-related chronic illness. The nine points are presented as sensible guidelines that are easy to follow on a daily basis, without complicated measuring or calculatingâ€"and without sacrificing favorite foods. Eat for Life gives practical recommendations on foods to eat and in a "how-to" section provides tips on shopping (how to read food labels), cooking (how to turn a high-fat dish into a low-fat one), and eating out (how to read a menu with nutrition in mind). The volume explains what protein, fiber, cholesterol, and fats are and what foods contain them, and tells readers how to reduce their risk of chronic disease by modifying the types of food they eat. Each chronic disease is clearly defined, with information provided on its prevalence in the United States. Written for everyone concerned about how they can influence their health by what they eat, Eat for Life offers potentially lifesaving information in an understandable and persuasive way. Alternative Selection, Quality Paperback Book Club

Vitamins (e.g., vitamin A, B, C, D, and E) are organic compounds that are essential to maintaining health. Minerals, on the other hand, are inorganic substances that humans need to maintain their health (e.g., calcium, iron, zinc). Multivitamin and/or multimineral supplements contain three or more vitamins and/or minerals without herbs, hormones, or drugs. The U.S. Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has also determined that each of these components is present at a dose less than the tolerable upper intake level. We refer to multivitamin/multimineral supplements as multivitamins because this is how they are marketed and sold. We do not consider other essential nutrients, such as essential fatty acids, to be vitamins or minerals. Between 1941 and 1994, the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) of the United States and the Dietary Standards/Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) of Canada dictated the nutrition polices of their respective countries. By the 1990s, however, concerns about the accuracy of the RDAs and RNIs in both countries arose as nutritional research advanced and measurement of nutrients improved. In 1997, the Food and Nutrition Board published a broader set of dietary reference values called Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). DRIs expanded upon and replaced RDAs and RNIs with four categories of intakes intended to help individuals optimize their health, prevent disease, and avoid consuming too much of a specific nutrient. Most commercially available supplements generally contain vitamins and/or minerals at doses that are close to the recommended dietary allowance, but are still below the tolerable upper intake levels set by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board. This systematic review was conducted to help the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) update its recommendation on the use of multivitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer in the general population. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) will use this review to update its 2003 recommendations on routine vitamin supplementation to prevent chronic diseases. This review addresses the benefits and harms of single, paired, and multiple vitamins and/or minerals as primary prevention for CVD and cancer in the general population without nutritional deficiencies or existing chronic diseases.

This volume is the newest release in the authoritative series of quantitative estimates of nutrient intakes to be used for planning and assessing diets for healthy people. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) is the newest framework for an expanded approach developed by U.S. and Canadian scientists. This book discusses in detail the role of vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and the carotenoids in human physiology and health. For each nutrient the committee presents what is known about how it functions in the human body, which factors may affect how it works, and how the nutrient may be related to chronic disease. Dietary Reference Intakes provides reference intakes, such as Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), for use in planning nutritionally adequate diets for different groups based on age and gender, along with a new reference intake, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), designed to assist an individual in knowing how much is "too much" of a nutrient.

Diet and Health examines the many complex issues concerning diet and its role in increasing or decreasing the risk of chronic disease. It proposes dietary recommendations for reducing the risk of the major diseases and causes of death today: atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (including heart attack and stroke), cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, liver disease, and dental caries.

The first demonstration of the existence of a vitamin and the full recognition of this fact are often attributed to the work of McCollum, who found that a sub stance in butterfat and cod-liver oil was necessary for growth and health of ani mals fed purified diets. It became obvious that an organic substance present in microconcentrations was vital to growth and reproduction of animals. Following the coining of the word vitamine by Funk, McCollum named this fat-soluble sub stance vitamin A. We can, therefore, state that vitamin A was certainly one of the first known vitamins, yet its function and the function of the other fat-soluble vitamins had remained largely unknown until recent years. However, there has been an explosion of investigation and new information in this field, which had remained quiescent for at least two or three decades. It is now obvious that the fat-soluble vitamins function quite differently from their water-soluble counter parts. We have learned that vitamin D functions by virtue of its being converted in the kidney to a hormone that functions to regulate calcium and phosphorus metabolism. This new endocrine system is in the process of being elucidated in detail, and in addition, the medical use of these hormonal forms of vitamin D in the treatment of a variety of metabolic bone diseases has excited the medical com munity.

Organized by nutrient, this evidence-based reference synthesizes all of the most current research on vitamins and minerals in an easy-to-use format. Each chapter addresses the function the nutrient plays in the human body; current definitions of deficiency, including Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Adequate Intake (AI) recommendations; the use of the nutrient for prevention or treatment of a disease, if known; dietary and other sources of the nutrient, including food and supplement sources (breaking down the different supplement forms); safety precautions for overdosing and drug interactions; and the Linus Pauling Institute's current recommendation for health maintenance. Each chapter has been reviewed by an expert in the area, all of whom are noted in the Editorial Advisory Board. This work is endorsed by the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University. Four appendices add to the clinical usefulness of this work: a quick reference to disease prevention and treatment recommendations made throughout the text, nutrient - nutrient interactions, drug - nutrient interactions, and a glossary.

Probiotics in The Prevention and Management of Human Diseases: A Scientific Perspective addresses the use of probiotics and their mechanistic aspects in diverse human diseases. In particular, the mechanistic aspects of how these probiotics are involved in mitigating disease symptoms (novel approaches and immune-mechanisms induced by Probiotics), clinical trials of certain probiotics, and animal model studies will be presented through this book. In addition, the book covers the role of probiotics in prevention and management aspects of crucial human diseases, including multidrug resistant infections, hospital acquired infections, allergic conditions, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, neurological disorders, and cancers. Finally, the book addresses the use of probiotics as vaccine adjuvants and as a solution for nutritional health problems and describes the challenges of using probiotics in management of human disease conditions as well as their biosafety concerns. Intended for nutrition researchers, microbiologists, physiologists, and researchers in related disciplines as well as students studying these topics require a resource that addresses the specific role of probiotics in the prevention and management of human disease. Contains information on the use of probiotics in significant human diseases, including antibiotic resistant microbial infections Presents novel applications of probiotics, including their use in vaccine adjuvants and concept of pharmabiotics Includes case studies and human clinical trials for probiotics in diverse disease conditions and explores the role of probiotics in mitigation of the symptoms of disease