This textbook offers a concise, yet comprehensive account of human
nutrition, food and nutrition-related health problems, based on the
curricula of top universities around the globe. Nutrition is a
multidisciplinary science, and as such, the book discusses various
aspects of physiology, biochemistry, pathology, immunology, medicine,
food science, and other fields related to nutrition, it focuses on the
role of nutrition in the maintenance of health. The various chapters
explore highly relevant issues, such as, addiction-related health
problems, lifestyle-related disorders, social health problems and
poor-maintenance of food hygiene and food safety. It also addresses the
role of nutritional therapies for mental disorders, and includes an
integrated perspective on cognition, oxidative stress and nutritional
interventions in aging.
Other topics include, the role of gut microbiota on human health,
nutraceuticals as therapeutic agents and ketogenic diets. It also
highlights malnutrition (protein energy malnutrition, starvation,
malabsorption syndrome, eating disorders and overnutrition/obesity) and
adipose tissue as an active endocrine organ. Moreover, it examines key
concepts concerning the role of vitamins in the citric acid cycle
(gluconeogenesis, ketogenesis, oxidative deamination and transamination)
and precursors of coenzymes, as well as calorigenic hormones,
appetite-stimulating/appetite-inhibiting hormones, anabolic and
catabolic hormones affecting protein metabolism, and
lipogenetic/lipolytic hormones.
