Opportunities in the Nutrition and Food Sciences Research Challenges and the Next Generation of Investigators (1994) / Chapter Skim
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2 ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCES
2 ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCES
Pages 27-46
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From page 27... ...
Lavoisier showed that the amount of oxygen used was related to the amount of food consumed and the amount of physical activity. Later, other scientists observed that citrus fruits prevented scurvy, iodine prevented goiter, and unmilled rice prevented beriberi.
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From page 28... ...
For several decades, nutrition scientists have been examining the relationships of modern dietary patterns to deadly chronic diseases such as heart and blood vessel diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Responding to the dietary guidelines developed by the nutrition community, food scientists have developed a wide range of technologies to lower the fat, salt, and sugar in food.
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From page 29... ...
There are many examples that might be chosen to illustrate the accomplishments of the nutrition and food sciences. The following eight are representative examples and are organized around three topics: the interactions of genes with nutrients, improving the food supply, and nutrient delivery and nutritional assessment.
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From page 30... ...
and several growth-stimulating vitamins Investigated the fermentation of sugars by yeast juice, leading to later studies of the basic metabolic processes of life Discoveries concerning liver therapy against anemia (Years later, it was shown that vitamin B12, found in liver, could prevent or treat pernicious anemia.) Research on carbohydrates and vitamin C Research on carotenoids and vitamins A and B Research on basic metabolic processes, with an emphasis on .
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From page 31... ...
Research on the metabolism of cholesterol and fatty acids Determined the structure of vitamin B12 Developed techniques for synthesis of organic molecules including cholesterol, chlorophyll, and vitamin B12 Research on vision and the identification of a vitamin A me tabolite as the critical molecule of the visual pigment rhodopsin Discovered sugar nucleotides and their role in the biosynthesis of carbohydrates Research on the biochemistry and physiology of prostaglandins Research into the regulation of cholesterol metabolism and the development of cholesterolrelated diseases 31 a,
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From page 32... ...
Iron deficiency and anemia during pregnancywhich are more common in African-American women and those of low socioeconomic status, with multiple gestations, and with limited education may be harmful to the fetus, but the data are not conclusive. Iron deficiency is of special concern for infants and young children because it may affect permanently their physical and mental development.
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From page 33... ...
Research leading to the identification of the hemochromatosis gene and the metabolic products of its expression could open new vistas both for identifying affected individuals and for improving the treatment. The prevalence of iron deficiency in the United States and the risks of iron overload to a significant minority raise important public policy questions and pose significant challenges for intervention.
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From page 34... ...
Much more research is needed to define the link between distribution of body fat, insulin resistance, the influence of sex hormones, and the risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases. As will be (1iscussed in Chapters 3 and 5, many opportunities exist to study the underlying causes of these two disorders, particularly the mechanisms through which genetic and dietary factors interact.
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From page 35... ...
Therefore, it may prevent delays in DNA synthesis, delays in fetal development through abnormal expression of genes, and thus the failure of the neural tube to form completely. Recommendations have been made to fortify foods with folic acid so that all women capable of becoming pregnant can more easily consume 0.4 mg per day in their diets.
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From page 36... ...
Given the constant, inevitable production of active oxygen species, it is no surprise that the body has evolved mechanisms to prevent their damaging consequences, some of which are influenced by what we eat. The enzymes superoxide dismutase (which contain essential trace minerals such as copper, manganese, and zinc)
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From page 37... ...
Similarly, the genetic determinants of metabolism and the way the hotly handles various nutrients may underlie some of the genetic susceptibility to other chronic diseases that can develop as a result of oxidative damage. The fact that one's genetic endowment can influence the aging process is suggested by observations in the fruit fly.
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From page 38... ...
Another approach to implementing dietary guidelines is to after the available food supply, because dietary compliance may increase if low-fat foods offer the same eating pleasure as foods high in fat. Recent advances in food technology, particularly the development of fat-replacement products, offer one way of reducing fat consumption while satisfying natural sensory preferences for a varied, palatable diet.
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From page 39... ...
~. ~ , ~ Plants Genetic engineering can be used to improve dramatically the nutritional quality of plants by making minor modifications in their genetic makeup.
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From page 40... ...
Genetic changes that improve disease resistance and feed digestion in foocl-producing animals will have an indirect but very positive effect on the nutritional quality of their meat and milk. Several economically importent diseases might be combated by transgenic strategies, thereby decreasing dependence on antibiotics and broad-spectrum chemical treatments and reducing drug residues in the food supply.
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From page 41... ...
There is little doubt that this powerful technology wfll improve dramatically the nutritional quality of the food supply in the coming years. (For further details, see Chapter 4.)
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From page 42... ...
The initial mass health education programs to encourage widespread use of ORT had only limited success. Public health workers have learned that they must recognize and work within the health beliefs and childcare practices of various cultures if they are to succeed in increasing the acceptance and use of ORT.
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From page 43... ...
By 1993, these clinical trials had been conducted in several countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central America. The overwhelming conclusion based on the combined results is that improving vitamin A status can reduce mortality, mainly from diarrhea and respiratory diseases, in childhood by 25 to nearly 40 percent.
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From page 44... ...
An adequate zinc intake might be defined as the amount required to maintain zinc stores at some specified level at an appropriate rate of absorption from the intestine. A diet poor in zinc could then be defined as one that leads to a drop in body stores or that maintains body stores by forcing the body to substantially increase zinc absorption or markedly decrease excretion.
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From page 45... ...
The good news, however, is that identifying these deficiencies has enabled investigators to determine the essentiality and practical importance of these trace minerals in human nutrition and to design more effective formulations. For example, studies of patients fed entirely intravenously have provided the only evidence that humans are vulnerable to a dietary deficiency of molybdenum and some of the strongest evidence that chromium deficiency may impair our ability to metabolize carbohydrates properly.
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From page 46... ...
In addition, we may wish to broaden the criteria for establishing dietary allowances to encompass the goal of maximizing healthy lifespans through the prevention of chronic diseases and by slowing the aging process. Earlier in this chapter, for example, we noted that antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins C and E consumed in adequate amounts from food or taken as supplements might help to protect against heart disease, several cancers, and cataracts.
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