Vitamins in the prevention of human diseases Hardback - 2011 - 1st Edition

this book provides up-to-date knowledge on the role of water and fat soluble vitamins in the prevention of human diseases. The vitamins are essential food constituents with magnificent biological effects therefore, linking our biology to our lifestyle and environment. One-sided nutrition, smoking, alcohol, genetic factors, and even geographical origin interfere with our dietary intake of the vitamins. Therefore, it is not wondering that insufficient vitamin intake can impact our health and contribute significantly to the development of numerous diseases.
The book offers expert reviews and judgements on the role of vitamins in our health and the link between vitamin deficiency and disease conditions at different life stages. The vitamins play a central role in cell division and functions in pregnancy and early life. One classical example is the causal relationship between folate deficiency and neural tube defects and the prevention of this by fortification of food staffs with folic acid. Furthermore, aging is a central factor for nutrients intake and health. Thus elderly people might be a target group for vitamin-related research aiming at prevention of age-related-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 physicians, clinical chemists, epidemiologists, specialists in nutrition, health professionals, researchers, and students who are interested in this area. Recent development in laboratory methods has helped making many issues in this field quantitative.