Nutrition and the Adult: Micronutrients

Description

The science of nutrition has advanced beyond expectation since Antoine La­ voisier as early as the 18th century showed that oxygen was necessary to change nutrients in foods to compounds which would become a part of the human body. He was also the first to measure metabolism and to show that oxidation within the body produces heat and energy. In the two hundred years that have elapsed, the essentiality of nitrogen-containing nutrients and of proteins for growth and maintenance of tissue has been established; the ne­ cessity for carbohydrates and certain types of fat for health has been docu­ mented; vitamins necessary to prevent deficiency diseases have been identified and isolated; and the requirement of many mineral elements for health has been demonstrated. Further investigations have defined the role of these nutrients in metabolic processes and quantitated their requirements at various stages of development. Additional studies have involved their use in the possible prevention of, and therapy for, disease conditions. Front Matter....Pages N2-xix Roles of Vitamins as Coenzymes....Pages 1-71 Vitamin C....Pages 73-96 Vitamin A....Pages 97-203 Vitamin D....Pages 205-244 Vitamin E....Pages 245-266 Vitamin K....Pages 267-286 Iron-Hemoglobin....Pages 287-317 Trace Elements....Pages 319-350 Drug-Nutrient Interrelationships....Pages 351-365 Oral Contraceptives and Nutrient Requirements....Pages 367-395 Nutrition of the Elderly....Pages 397-417 Back Matter....Pages 419-425