Textbook of Nutrition in Health and Disease

by Kaveri Chakrabarty, A. S. Chakrabarty

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789811509612
Publisher:	Springer Nature Singapore
Publication date:	02/29/2020
Edition description:	1st ed. 2019
Pages:	319
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr Kaveri Chakrabarty was awarded a PhD (Physiology) from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Zoology, Hansraj College, University of Delhi. She is a member of the American Physiological Society (APS) and life member of the Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists of India. She co-authored the book entitled Fundamentals of Respiratory Physiology, and the book chapter “Gender and Human Nutritional Safety in Gender and Space: Multidisciplinary Insights. She has published her work in journals like the Journal of Applied Physiology and Federation of American Society for Experimental Biology. She was former Research Associate at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was invited as a guest speaker for the Women in Science Program, Inspiring Women in STEM Speaker Series at the Department of Biological Sciences, Winston Salem State University, North Carolina, USA in 2017. She has presented papers in various international and national conferences, and has recently presented a paper at the international conference Experimental Biology, in Chicago, USA. She was awarded a national scholarship under the CAS scheme during her MSc (University of Delhi).

Prof A.S. Chakrabarty is the former Director Professor and Head of the Department of Physiology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, and former Professor and Head of the Department of Physiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry. He was also a Professor at the Department of Physiology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. He has been awarded innumerable honors during his long career, prominent being the Hari Om Alembic Research Award from the Medical Council of India and the Medical Education Prize from the Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists of India. He has published numerous papers in publications in various international and national journals. He has co-authored a book entitled Fundamentals of Respiratory Physiology. He was felicitated by Maulana Azad Medical College Old Students Association (MAMCOS) in MIDCON-2010. Recently he was felicitated by Maulana Azad Medical College, and VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital. He has been invited to deliver lectures and Orations for Indian Science Congress and many other scientific organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Patricia P. Araujo, RD (Northwestern Memorial Hospital )
Description: As the title implies, this is a book about human nutrition and its impact on health. It introduces concepts about nutrition and food, ties those concepts with human health, and discusses nutrition interventions for diseases. It also includes other relevant topics, such as the heath impact of smoking, physical activity, and digital environment. Structural elements include a table of contents, list of abbreviations, list of figures, glossary, and index. Each chapter also includes an abstract, key words, summary, references, pictures/figures, and further reading suggestions, which identify two to three relevant articles for readers to expand on topics discussed in the chapters.
Purpose: According to the book, the purpose is to serve as a concise and comprehensive guide on topics of nutrition and nutrition-related health problems. This is important since there are many misconceptions regarding dietary patterns, foods, nutrition, and health, which this book may help clarify. The book meets the objective of informing readers about nutrition in health and provides a concise overview of these topics. However, not all topics are covered in detail, and readers seeking a more in-depth discussion of these subjects might have to look for a different source or explore suggested readings/references.
Audience: This can be a good textbook for anyone seeking an overview of nutrition, health, and dietary recommendations, such as students who are learning about nutrition and human health. It can also be useful for public health professionals working with population nutrition. Health practitioners and health educators providing dietary advice and information to patients can benefit from the book's brief disease overview and easy-to-access dietary recommendations. Professionals such as physicians; advanced practitioners; and dietitians in the fields of internal medicine, obesity medicine, preventative medicine, pediatrics, and geriatrics may be particularly interested in the topics covered. However, the book does not substitute clinical guidelines for these health professionals and might not be the recommended reading for specialists looking for in-depth information. It is written by two authors who have achieved advanced academic degrees and positions as educators. As per the authors' biographies, both have been involved with publication of articles in medical journals, publication of books, and presentations at national and international conferences. While it is clear the authors have extensive academic experience, it is not clear they are experts or have done extensive work in the field of nutrition.
Features: The book begins by covering basic concepts of nutrition (such as macro and micronutrients and food groups) and specifics of the human diet (such as recommended dietary allowance (RDA) and dietary patterns). Then, the book discusses nutrition-related health problems, specific mechanisms through which nutrition impacts heath, and dietary interventions to health problems when applicable. Health-related problems discussed include nutritional deficiencies, eating disorders, mental disorders, lifestyle-related disorders, addictions, and cognition/aging. The final chapters cover food hygiene, food safety concerns, and water quality. Some topics are covered particularly well, such as the chapter on fiber that includes brief information on biochemical features, food sources, RDAs, and beneficial effects. However, chapter 1 might present too many independent topics. These topics could be rearranged and integrated with more relevant chapters to facilitate a more focused discussion. In addition, although the book is written in English, there are some grammatical errors.
Assessment: This is a useful textbook to learn about nutrition, how nutrition can impact human health, and nutritional interventions for disease. Although there are many books about nutrition, this book is unique because it incorporates all these concepts in one volume. The plethora of information presented makes this book a helpful resource that summarizes important points of nutrition and disease. It can also be a good tool for those seeking a straightforward overview of dietary interventions for disease.

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