Nutrition and Health: An Introduction

Students at the collegiate level need to broaden their knowledge and understanding of nutrition. Nutrition is not a subject devoted simply to the Basic Food Groups or the Pyramid, nor is it so simply constrained that only basic eating patterns need be followed to promote good health. Rather, the modern concept developed in Nutrition and Health is that the field of nutrition draws on the contributions of genetic inheritance, normal functions at physiological and biochemical levels, environmental contributions to risk for diseases, and the general multi-factorial determinants of the health/disease continuum of specific populations. Nutrition and Health emphasizes the nutrition of North Americans and is divided into the following sections: Social and Behavioral Aspects of Nutrition, Nutrients in the Body, Nutrition Through the Life Cycle, and Nutrition-Disease Relationships. Ample illustrative materials complement the text to enhance concept development along with basic facts. Importance has been placed on accuracy of information, currency of topics, and broad perspective of nutrition in the context of human health. Long-term dietary patterns that contribute to the common chronic diseases of North Americans are highlighted, and biological mechanisms explaining these linkages are offered. Student exercises have been developed for each chapter. Written by experts in the field of nutrition, this book should enhance general understanding of human function that is useful for undergraduates pursuing health careers, i.e., medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine, and for those planning to attend graduate programs in the biochemical and molecular biology fields.