Nutrition and Immunology: Principles and Practice

It is a pleasure to write the foreword to Nutrition and Table 1 Nutritional Status and Outcome of Infection Immunology: Principles and Practice. In fact, this book comes at a timely moment, when the impact of nutrition and Definite adverse outcome immunology is being widely felt because of the AIDS epi­ Measles, diarrhea, tuberculosis demic. This is particularly of note in Africa, where large Probable adverse outcome HIV, malaria, pneumonia sums of money are being spent on nutritional intervention Little or no effect programs in the hopes of improving immune responsive­ Poliomyelitis, tetanus, viral encephalitis ness. We should not forget, however, early advances in our Note: HIV= human immunodeficiency virus understanding of protein energy malnutrition (PEM). PEM can be used as a model to understand the nutritional basis of immunity, as well as the immunological influences on nutri­ tional status. Despite advances in agricultural production, tance. However, both in vitro studies and tests in laboratory PEM continues to affect hundreds of millions ofthe world's animals may have little resemblance to what is experienced population. The functional impact of undernutrition varies in humans under field conditions. from mild morbidity to life-threatening infection.

In Nutrition and Immunology: Principles and Practice, leading researchers and clinicians review the influence of diet on the immune system, and illuminate the extent to which diet-induced changes can contribute to the occurrence or prevention of selected diseases. Topics range from the quality of the immune response associated with nutrient deficiencies to the deterioration in the immune response resulting from select nutrient deficiencies. Also reviewed are the increased demand for antioxidant protection and tissue repair created by the consequences of immune activation, and the specific protein, vitamin, and lipid needs of the immune system. Extensive coverage is given to the impact of diet on such clinical issues as breast feeding, allergies, autoimmune diseases, cancer, perioperative condition, diabetes, allograft rejection, and oral disease. In all discussions the authors seek to clarify the complex interplay of nutrients in the modulation of the equally complex immune system.
Nutrition and Immunology: Principles and Practice provides a comprehensive review of the role of nutrition in health, with a major focus on how diet can reduce the initial onset, as well as the progression, of numerous chronic diseases. Its state-of-the-art articles will help readers understand the molecular basis for improving health over the long term by defining the specific nutritional needs of the immune system throughout life, as well as during immunologic challenge, thus assuring the book's role as the new foundation reference in this dramatically developing field.