This volume is the newest release in the authoritative series issued by the National Academy of Sciences on dietary reference intakes (DRIs). This series provides recommended intakes, such as Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), for use in planning nutritionally adequate diets for individuals based on age and gender. In addition, a new reference intake, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), has also been established to assist an individual in knowing how much is "too much" of a nutrient. Based on the Institute of Medicine's review of the scientific literature regarding dietary micronutrients, recommendations have been formulated regarding vitamins A and K, iron, iodine, chromium, copper, manganese, molybdenum, zinc, and other potentially beneficial trace elements such as boron to determine the roles, if any, they play in health. The book also: Reviews selected components of food that may influence the bioavailability of these compounds. Develops estimates of dietary intake of these compounds that are compatible with good nutrition throughout the life span and that may decrease risk of chronic disease where data indicate they play a role. Determines Tolerable Upper Intake levels for each nutrient reviewed where adequate scientific data are available in specific population subgroups. Identifies research needed to improve knowledge of the role of these micronutrients in human health. This book will be important to professionals in nutrition research and education.

The present volume is one of a series concerned with topics considered to be of growing interest to those whose ultimate aim is the understanding of the nutrition of man. Volumes on Sweetness, Calcium in Human Biology and Sucrose: Nutritional and Safety Aspects, have already been published, and another, on Dietary Starches and Sugars in Man: A Comparison, is in preparation. Written for workers in the nutritional and allied sciences rather than for the specialist, they aim to fill the gap between the textbook on the one hand and the many publications addressed to the expert on the other. The target readership spans medicine, nutrition and the biological sciences generally and includes those in the food, chemical and allied industries who need to take account of advances in these fields relevant to their products. Funded by industry but with an independent status, the Inter national Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) is a non-profit organization founded to deal objectively with the numerous health and safety issues that today concern industry internationally. ILSI sponsors scientific research, organizes conferences and publishes monographs relative to these problems. London Ian Macdonald March 1988 Series Editor Preface This volume has been prepared at a time when interest in both the biological roles of zinc and its nutritional significance is growing rapidly.

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.

In the past 20 years micronutrients have assumed great public health importance and a considerable amount of research has lead to increasing knowledge of their physiological role. Because it is a rapidly developing field, the WHO and FAO convened an Expert Consultation to evaluate the current state of knowledge. It had three main tasks: to review the full scope of vitamin and minerals requirements; to draft and adopt a report which would provide recommended nutrient intakes for vitamins A, C, D, E, and K; the B vitamins; calcium; iron; magnesium; zinc; selenium; and iodine; to identify key issues for future research and make preliminary recommendations for the handbook. This report contains the outcome of the Consultation, combined with up-to-date evidence that has since become available.

Chapters in this book review the remarkable advances in the field of zinc biology over the last decade. Zinc is essential for life, in particular for growth and development, through its role in hundreds of zinc enzymes and thousands of zinc proteins. Its catalytic, structural, and regulatory functions in these proteins impact metabolism, gene expression, and signal transduction, including neurotransmission. Among the micronutrients, zinc may rank with iron as to its importance for public health. The topics covered range from single molecules to cells and to whole organisms: the chemistry, design, and application of fluorophores for the determination of cellular zinc; the role of zinc in proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of cells; proteins that transport, sense, and distribute zinc and together form a cellular homeostatic system; the coordination chemistry of zinc in metalloproteins; the role of zinc in the brain as a neuromodulator/transmitter; the dependence of the immune system on zinc; zinc homeostasis in the whole human body.

In response to the worldwide health problems caused by nutritional zinc deficiency, coupled with the remarkable advances in our knowledge of zinc metabolism, the author has written this monograph on the clinical effects of this important mineral. Dr. Prasad focuses on biochemical aspects, but also includes chapters on toxicity and assessment techniques in order to provide clinicians who encounter zinc related problems in their practice with a practical reference source.

Intake of a sufficient diet will provide an individual to live a healthy and functional life. However, poor intake of different nutritional components, such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements, may lead to health problems that can cause morbidity and finally mortality. Assessment of nutritional status involves physical examination, comprehensive evaluation of biochemical tests, body composition, and organ functions. Both high and low intake of nutritional elements may lead to significant health impairment. The main aim of the book Nutritional Deficiency is to determine the relationships between nutritional status and general health. The authors, who are contributing to the book, particularly focused on iron, vitamin D, and zinc deficiencies, which are global health problems. Besides, some chapters mention the impact of different nutritional deficiencies in susceptible periods of life, such as pregnancy and elderly. Besides, as a result of these deficiencies, different health conditions, such as depression, anemia, loss of neuronal plasticity, and cancer, are widely scrutinized in the book. One chapter mainly focuses on the effects of disasters on nutrition and disaster-caused malnutrition in underdeveloped countries. This book will widen the knowledge store of the readers on the effects of nutrition on general health, how nutritional deficiencies arise when there is a health problem, and how the nutritional status affects susceptible populations.