Nutrition & Health

Nutrition and food science have each improved the expansion of an abundant, nutritious, safe food supply. A healthy diet should comprise of all of the obligatory nutrients and adequate calories to balance energy spending and provide for growth and maintenance thru the life cycle. Significantly, dietary factors are linked with 5 of the 10 leading causes of death, counting coronary heart disease, certain types of cancer, stroke, noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis. Nutritionis essential for Healthy Life Style Promotion and progression over the whole life expectancy. Great wellbeing is critical to carrying on with a profitable life, addressing vital needs and adding to group life, Nutrition stimuli to a Healthy way of life advancement. Importance of Food and Nutrition in Health is an inevitably essential preference for populations round the globe. Sustenance is gradually concerned with metabolic methods and digestion system, the organization of biochemical psaces through which substances among living life forms change starting with one edge then onto the next.

Nutritional science is the study of how an organism is nourished, and includes the study of Nutrition and metabolism. Nutritional science shelters a wide spectrum of disciplines. Nutrients must be obtained from diet, since the human body does not synthesize them and are used to generate energy, notice and respond to environmental surroundings, move, excrete wastes, respire. Healthy food habit is becoming ever more of a science, with new research showing us which foods may decrease our risk of disease, and which are progressively pointed to as the culprits behind ill health. Researchers are looking to better recognise how nutrients work in our bodies, with studies that investigate the diets of people with heart disease, cancer, and other diseases, along with research aimed at helping people to lose weight, or maintain weight loss. There are various classes of nutrients such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, water, vitamins, and minerals which are required for the body to function and maintain overall health.

Pediatric Nutrition is well-defined as maintaining a well-balanced diet consisting of the abundant nutrients and the adequate caloric consumption which is mandatory to stimulate development and withstand the physiological necessities at several phases of a child's growth & development. It also includes Nutritional requirements in infants & children and various caring practices.  Due to deficiency of nutrition particularly during critical ages of growth, causes improper development or major illness, such as anaemia due to the deficiency of iron or scurvy due to lack of vitamin C. Nutrition plays a critical role in childhood development, which results in both good and bad. Proper nutrition helps in the appropriate growth and development of children allowing them to reach their complete potential. During the growing years between infancy and adolescence, adequate nutrition is of utmost importance. Proper diet will not only support the normal growth and development of a growing child, but also supports their immune system, and develops lifelong eating habits. Although dietary needs, appetites, and tastes will vary widely throughout childhood, it is important to consistently provide your child with healthy options from all of the major food groups.

Current research in Nutrition is screening which foods may inferior the danger of disease, and which are accountable for illness. Researchers across the sphere are looking for better understanding of Food Safety network, Food and nutrient intake dietary pattern and dietary guide, Food Quality, Safety and Sustainability. Current study is offering innovative information about the connection among nutrition and health.

Poor diet or lack of proper dietary intake leads to malnutrition or nutritional deficiency. In some cases it is the effect of excess or imbalances in energy intake. Therefore the term malnutrition covers 2 broad group of conditions- First is under-nutrition & the second one is Obesity or overweight. This condition may lead to several fatal or life threatening diseases if not controlled at the initial stage. Poor diet may lead to lack of vitamins & minerals which can lead kwashiorkor (due to lack of protein), Scurvy (lack of Vitamin C). According to the record of World Health Organization (WHO), 462 million people world-wide are malnourished, and underdeveloped due to poor diet affects 159 million children globally. This condition may complicate the disease like malaria, measles, pneumonia & diarrhoea. On the other hand obesity may lead to the risk of some non-communicable disease like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. According to survey malnutrition affects approximately all countries with 1.9 billion overweight while 462 million underweight. A healthy balanced diet is recommended for prevention of malnutrition.

Consumer awareness regarding food safety & nutrition is a major issue with respect to healthy lifestyle & disease prevention. Improper consumption of food has implemented a large number of cases of foodborne illnesses. The safety, quality and nutritional value of the food we consume is of major importance to our health and wellbeing. Food safety and nutrition are therefore key concerns for the environmental health profession. Consumption of mishandled foods can lead to food poisoning which can be managed from preliminary level: Cleaning of hand before preparing food as well as eating, raw fruits & vegetables should be washed thoroughly before consumption, keeping meet & poultry foods separate from those which will be eaten raw (Fruits & vegetables), cooking the foods thoroughly. These safety measures can reduce the effect of foodborne illness. Along with this, public awareness is the most needed safety measure to alleviate any kind foodborne illness or food poisoning.

People affected with cancer should maintain a healthy body weight with nutritious foods as much as possible. At some cases the side effects of surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy cause a person loss of appetite and lose weight where as some may cause weight gain.

Some general recommendations for people receiving cancer treatment are given below:

Maintain a right weight. In many cases, this means avoiding weight loss by getting enough calories each day. For people who are more prone to obesity, this may mean losing weight. It might be better to wait until after treatment ends. If it is okay, weight loss should be moderate, meaning only about a pound a week.

Getting proper nutrients is very essential during treatment. These include protein, carbohydrates, fats, and water in ample amount. Being as active as it is possible. In addition to daily counselling some more precautions can be taken- taking multivitamin, having liquid nutritional supplements.

Nutritional Therapy complies nutrition science in the advancement of healthy lifestyle. Renowned nutritionists use a wide range of tools to assess and recognize possible nutritional imbalance and understand how these may cause for an individual’s symptoms and health concerns. Nutritional Therapy comprises of food that prevent and reverse diseases that affect most western societies: diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, and depression. In order to make food therapeutic, it must be nutrient-dense, measured in part by the nutrients and anti-nutrients, contained in consumed foods.

From last 30 years the occurrence of obesity in children has tripled & now it can be assumed that every one in five children, is affected with obesity in USA. Childhood obesity can be defined as the condition where extra body fat makes a negative impact on child’s health or well-being. This is the most serious public health encounters in the 21st century. Moreover this is steadily affecting people globally which can be redirected to many fatal conditions i.e. Carotid arteries, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, stroke. Obesity can lead to many psychological disorders too (Depression, poor self-esteem, Anxiety, distorted peer relationship). It has been estimated that the obese children are more prone to have Osteoarthritis. Childhood obesity is mostly screened by determining the BMI of the corresponding child. This can be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, managing proper diet, daily physical activity. Different medications are also available to alleviate different factors related to obesity. Behaviour Modification also helps in prevention from obesity. Eating disorders are the result of irregular & unhealthy eating habits. It may include inadequate or excessive food intake which finally affect one’s health & well-being. Eating disorders may develop at any age of human life. The consequences are detrimental & sometimes even fatal. Along with unhealthy eating habits it may occur due to some biological reasons i.e. hormonal, genetically developed & nutritional deficiencies. Eating disorder may lead to one of the most occurring disease i.e. obesity, which is leading cause of death worldwide in 21st century. Sometimes ill eating habits may lead to certain mental issues & depressions. Currently nutritional therapy & certain medications are used to treat eating disorders. Similarly certain Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) & psychological therapies are also used in certain cases.

Plant resources are one of the most important resources of nutrients in human food & medicines. Plants are the large resources of phytonutrients. The understanding of nutrition, medicine, and plant biotechnology has switched the concepts about food, health and agriculture. This has brought a rapid revolution in medical fields. Strong recommendations are made to heal many fatal diseases now-a-days as a part of Phototherapy. With the help of these trends, improvement of the dietary nutritional values of fruits, vegetables and some bioactive compounds in traditional herbals has become targets of the plant biotechnology industry. Nutraceuticals are the products which are used as medicines as well as nutritional supplements. These are the by-products of plant nutrients which are having good therapeutics effects. Nutraceuticals are having considerable interest since it is effective against hardly curative chronic diseases i.e. allergy, cardiovascular, cancer, eye, Alzheimer’s, Immune & inflammatory diseases. In near future Nutraceuticals are going to have promising effects on Human health & well-being.

Nutritional epidemiology is a new field of medical research and is defined as an area of epidemiology that involves investigation to study the importance of nutrition in the etiology of disease and to monitor the nutritional status of populations.

Nutritional epidemiology is a new field of medical research and is defined as an area of epidemiology that involves investigation to study the importance of nutrition in the etiology of disease and to monitor the nutritional status of populations.

Diet or nutrition used during the treatment of chronic renal failure is known as renal nutrition. The types of food prescribed in this diet, depends on the severity of kidney failure. Generally the diet helps to control sodium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, and fluid that a person ingests while eating. This kind of diet may vary from patient to patient as every patient experience different symptoms during kidney failure therefore the diet differs slightly in each case. Metabolism is the process by which body converts what one eats and drinks into energy. During this complex biochemical procedure, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy, body needs to function. The chemical reactions of metabolism are organized into metabolic pathways, in which one chemical is transformed through a series of steps into another chemical, by a sequence of enzymes. Proper physical activity with sufficient nutrition helps improving metabolism which leads to good health.

Holistic or integrative nutrition is the nutritional approach where medication strategies are given based on the whole mental & physical condition of the patient other than using a same method of focusing on just one aspect of nutrition. In holistic nutrition the dietician examine the medical history, physical & mental state, lifestyle & current meal plans of the patient. Each person must be treated differently and uniquely because all are unique individuals. One may have similar symptoms as another person, but how he/she developed these symptoms and how it will be healed is unique to each individual. Human bodies have an incredible ability to heal, and holistic nutrition gives the body the food and energy needed to maintain optimal health.

Functional foods are foods that have a significant positive effect on health than basic nutritional meal plan. It is believed that functional foods promote optimal health and help to reduce the risk of many diseases. A common example of a functional food is oatmeal since it contains soluble fibre which can help lower cholesterol levels. Some foods are modified to have health benefits. An example is orange juice that's been fortified with calcium for bone health. Functional foods have been shown to be a tremendously effective for weight reduction and in almost all cases more effective than traditional methods of dietary restrictions to reduce body weight and improving nutritional intake. Most significantly, continuous use of meal replacements may be the most effective means of all treatments when it comes to maintaining body weight. Functional foods are generally used to replace one or two meals a day and allow the individual complete freedom for their remaining daily calories.

While aging can’t be stopped fully, it can be slower down with the help of proper nutrition & healthy diet. Skin reflects the inner health status of body. Vitamins, carotenoids, tocopherols, flavonoids and a variety of plant extracts possess antioxidant properties & are widely used for anti-aging treatment either topically or orally. Anti-oxidants such as carotenoids, flavonoids, tocophenols, vitamins (A, C, D and E), and essential omega-3-fatty acids, some proteins and lactobacilli are capable of promoting healthy skin. The best prevention approach against the harmful action of free radicals is a healthy lifestyle (caloric restriction, body care and physical exercise), with low stress conditions and a balanced nutritional diet, including anti-oxidative rich food. To maintain a good skin it is mandatory to drink water properly along with taking Vitamin C rich fruits to prevent any kind of skin diseases. 

Probiotics & prebiotics are one of the most important topics in the field of nutrition these days. Although, they are sound similar but they are having different impact on human health. Prebiotics are those food product or supplements which contain live bacteria, found in human gut, are used to improve health. These gut bacteria are collectively known as gut flora or gut Microbiota. These are having a role of improving digestion along with these are known to reduce the effect of bowel inflammation, regulate blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol level. Current research shows that they are able to reduce effects of everything from colon cancer to Alzheimer's risk, and their findings are promising. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are non-living organisms. These are soluble, fermentable fibres that we’re unable to digest in our stomachs. This allows them to progress to our intestines, where this is eaten up by probiotics and fermented into short-chain fatty acids.

Iron deficiency  is among the most widely found  nutritional deficiency among the world, which further leads to Anaemia, a blood disorder that causes fatigue and variety of other indications. Poor nutritional status leads to poor health and a number of diseases like HIV/AIDS, Congestive Heart Failure, Diabetes, Kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Diabetes is referred to a metabolic disorder where sugar level in blood remains high for a prolonged period. Further it can lead to many diseases. Therefore, nutrition is a part of critical care along with medications to treat diabetes. Balancing right amount of carbohydrate with protein, fat, vitamins & minerals helps us maintaining good health.  Even though there isn’t a single diabetic diet that fits every person’s needs, there are general guidelines people with pre-diabetes or diabetes should follow to live well and thrive. Healthy diet guidelines should include healthy breakfast, lunch dinner & snacks options, perfect food include in a healthy eating plan, information about sugar substitutes and eating out, also fit sugary foods and sweets into your healthy meal plan. Medical nutrition therapy has become an integral part of diabetes management and of diabetes self-management studies. Yet many misconceptions are still there concerning nutrition in the treatment of diabetes. In near future it can be assumed that nutritional approaches will be the most promising prospect of treatment for diabetes. 

Improvement of maternal nutrition during pregnancy is of key importance to improve health of both mother & baby. Ideally, making healthy food choices should begin in the months prior to conception; however, for some women, as soon as she finds out she is pregnant, it is important that she makes sure her diet is as good as it can be. Australian dietary guidelines recommend that women enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods every day from the five food groups such as: Fruit, vegetables of different types and colours, legumes and beans, Grain food (mostly wholegrain and/or high fibre varieties such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles Dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt), Protein such as lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and seeds. Prior to conceiving, during pregnancy and lactation, it can be difficult to meet these increased nutritional needs through diet alone. Taking a specially formulated nutritional supplement ensures that mother & baby get enough important nutrients such as - folic acid, iron, iodine, protein and vitamin D. 

Nutrigenetics objective is to identify in what way genetic difference affects response to nutrients. This evidence can be pragmatic to boost health, and inhibit diseases. The final aim of nutrigenetics is to offer people modified nutrition based on their genetic character. Nutrigenomics includes studies about the effects of food constituents on gene expression which shows that the same is the investigation that focuses on discovery and understanding the molecular-level relationship between nutrients and other dietary bioactives with the genome.

Sports nutrition deals with the well-designed nutrition plans assigned for athletes. The energy required for living and physical activity comes from the food we eat and fluid intake. All the Macronutrients are required for energy resources for as nutrition for athletes. Active adults and competitive athletes turn to sports nutrition to help them achieve their goals. Examples of individual goals could include gaining lean mass, improving body composition, or enhancing athletic performance. These sport-specific scenarios require differing nutritional programs. Research findings indicate the right food type, caloric intake, nutrient timing, fluids, and supplementation are essential and specific to each individual. Proper exercises & physical activity along with proper nutrition includes daily healthy habits to maintain good health & fitness.

Clinical nutrition is nutrition required for patients with medical issues. Clinical in this sense refers to the management of patients, including not only outpatients at clinics, but also (and mainly) inpatients in hospitals. Basically it incorporates the scientific areas of nutrition and dietetics. It aims to keep a healthy energy balance in patients, as well as providing sufficient amounts other nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals. Clinical nutrition plays a significant role in disease prevention. It joins primarily the scientific fields of nutrition and dietetics. The main aim for clinical nutrition is to keep a healthy energy balance in patients, as well as providing sufficient amounts of nutrients such as proteins, minerals and vitamins. Nutritional Assessment, Parenteral nutrition and Nutrition Physiology comes under clinical nutrition.

Parenteral nutrition can be defined as the uptake of daily nutrition intravenous. It can be classified in two more categories: a) Partial Parenteral Nutrition- Intake of part of the daily nutrition while b) Total parenteral nutrition is helps taking all daily nutritional requirements. Total parenteral nutrition can be taken at hospital as well as home too. Parenteral nutrition provides liquids along with daily required carbohydrates, protein, fat vitamins & minerals. People who are unable to absorb the proper energy from the food ingested by mouth go for this treatment. Patients affected with cancer in digestive tract, Cohn’s Disease, Short Bowel Syndrome, abnormal bowel function generally go for this kind of treatments. Sometimes it may arise some serious complications like certain infections, blood clotting, fatty liver as well as liver failure, Cholecystitis, Gut atrophy & other complications.