Handbook of Nutrition and Immunity
M. Eric Gershwin (Editor), Carl L. Keen (Editor), Penelope NestelBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
An international panel of physicians, pediatricians, immunologists, and public health nutritionists concisely review for front-line health care providers and researchers the practical aspects related to evaluating nutrition and immunology in the field. Here, the busy physician and investigator will quickly find a clear and up-to-date understanding of the essential immunological facts in adult and child nutrition. Citing the latest research findings, the authors explain the role of nutrition in the case of current health issues, such as HIV, malaria, food allergies, diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, and the impact of macro- and micronutrient deficiencies, dietary fat, and antioxidants on immune status. A compact disk accompanies the book for downloading an ebook version to the reader's PC or PDA. Comprehensive and holistic, the Handbook of Nutrition and Immunity illuminates for busy health care providers and scientists the interaction and linkages between nutrition and immunology and provides an up-to-date understanding of the practical problems associated with evaluating nutritional and immune status in the field.
Synopsis
Because nutrient deficiencies can alter immune response to produce a higher incidence of infection and increased mortality -- especially in children -- it is important in clinical practice, both as a therapeutic and preventive measure, to determine whether the patient is malnourished. In Handbook of Nutrition and Immunity, and international panel of physicians, pediatricians, immunologists, and public health nutritionists concisely review for front-line health care providers and researchers the practical aspects related to evaluating nutrition and immunology in the field. Here the busy physician and investigator will quickly find a clear and up-to-date understanding of the essential immunological facts in adult and child nutrition. Citing the latest research findings, the authors explain the role of nutrition in such current health issues as HIV, malaria, food allergies, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections, and review the impact of macro- and micronutrient deficiencies, dietary fat, and antioxidants on immune status. They also discuss the evaluation of immune function in the nutritionally at-risk patient, the immunological effects of severe undernutrition in children, the assessment of nutrition in the field with and without sophisticated facilities, and the special case of the pregnant and lactating woman.
Doody Review Services
Reviewer:Mark E Cook, PhD(University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Description:This handbook provides a concise analysis of peer reviewed works that have examined the role of nutrition and immune defenses.
Purpose:The purpose is to provide a concise volume on the subject of nutrition and immunity for healthcare providers, scientists delivering therapeutic/preventive healthcare, and other scientists with an interest in the subject. Chapters cover a broad range of topics faced by preventative healthcare workers both in developed and developing countries. Molecular and cellular nutritional immunologists can equally benefit from this handbook's global analysis of the consequences associated with nutritional-induced dysfunction of immune defenses.
Audience:The book editors and chapter authors are authorities in their fields. The editors' intended audience of healthcare workers and scientists in the areas of health, nutrition, and food science are well served by the information in the handbook.
Features:The focus of the handbook is nutrient deficiencies and immune defenses. Select diseases where nutrition has an impact on immunity and, hence, resistance are also covered. Clinical conditions causing nutritional deficiencies that may impact immunological function are presented. The book's index allows for a quick location of materials on nutrient deficiencies and their effects on immunity. Each chapter is complete with an extensive list of references that will provide those interested in more detailed investigations a gateway to the literature. While the handbook assumes that the reader has some basic knowledge in basic or clinical immunology, most of the immunological terminology used is not beyond the reach of those new to the area.
Assessment:The concise nature of this handbook did not allow for an analysis of the breadth of literature on the interaction of diet and immunity. A wealth of new information has been published on constituents of the diet that affect immune function, but are not considered required nutrients. Most of these dietary constituents are absent or only briefly mentioned in the handbook. The focus of the handbook is on inadequate dietary intake. While undernutrition is reality for the majority of the world's population, excessive intakes of select nutrients, through self-supplementation, does occur in developed countries. Hence, another limitation of this concise analysis of nutrition and immunity is that it does not address pharmacological use of nutrients and their adverse effects on immunity.
Editorials
From The Critics
Reviewer: Mark E Cook, PhD(University of Wisconsin-Madison)Description: This handbook provides a concise analysis of peer reviewed works that have examined the role of nutrition and immune defenses.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a concise volume on the subject of nutrition and immunity for healthcare providers, scientists delivering therapeutic/preventive healthcare, and other scientists with an interest in the subject. Chapters cover a broad range of topics faced by preventative healthcare workers both in developed and developing countries. Molecular and cellular nutritional immunologists can equally benefit from this handbook's global analysis of the consequences associated with nutritional-induced dysfunction of immune defenses.
Audience: The book editors and chapter authors are authorities in their fields. The editors' intended audience of healthcare workers and scientists in the areas of health, nutrition, and food science are well served by the information in the handbook.
Features: The focus of the handbook is nutrient deficiencies and immune defenses. Select diseases where nutrition has an impact on immunity and, hence, resistance are also covered. Clinical conditions causing nutritional deficiencies that may impact immunological function are presented. The book's index allows for a quick location of materials on nutrient deficiencies and their effects on immunity. Each chapter is complete with an extensive list of references that will provide those interested in more detailed investigations a gateway to the literature. While the handbook assumes that the reader has some basic knowledge in basic or clinical immunology, most of the immunological terminology used is not beyond the reach of those new to the area.
Assessment: The concise nature of this handbook did not allow for an analysis of the breadth of literature on the interaction of diet and immunity. A wealth of new information has been published on constituents of the diet that affect immune function, but are not considered required nutrients. Most of these dietary constituents are absent or only briefly mentioned in the handbook. The focus of the handbook is on inadequate dietary intake. While undernutrition is reality for the majority of the world's population, excessive intakes of select nutrients, through self-supplementation, does occur in developed countries. Hence, another limitation of this concise analysis of nutrition and immunity is that it does not address pharmacological use of nutrients and their adverse effects on immunity.