Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Nutrition and food science have each enhanced the development of an abundant, nutritious, safe food supply. A healthy diet should contain all of the required nutrients and sufficient calories to balance energy expenditure and provide for growth and maintenance throughout the life cycle. Importantly, dietary factors are associated with 5 of the 10 leading causes of death, including coronary heart disease, certain types of cancer, stroke, noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis. National health care expenditures for 1990 totaled $666 billion of which 30% are related to inappropriate diet. Identification of external factors that contribute to premature death would aid preventive efforts, improve the quality of life, and reduce health care costs. Even though genetic predisposition increases susceptible people's risk for many of these chronic diseases, these conditions may be diminished or prevented by improvements in the American diet. Each stage of the life cycle has specific nutrient needs. Throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence nutrients are required to meet the growth processes as well as cognitive function. During pregnancy nutrients are required for both mother and developing infant needs. Adult nutrition focuses on tissue maintenance, nutrient and energy needs, and disease prevention. As the population of elderly increase in number and greater age, nutritional needs must be met to minimize certain disease states and assure the quality of life. Nutrition associated health risks have been identified for coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes mellitus. Recommendations for each includes a decrease in dietary fat, awareness of caloric intake and enhancement of nutrient density including an increase in fruit and vegetables. These recommendations also impact obesity and diminish the compounding of other disease states affected by excessive body weight. Calcium intake at early ages affects development of bone density and manifestation of osteoporosis. Current gaps in knowledge are also identified that could improve health. Numerous nutrients are being examined for their regulation of specific gene expressions and in the processes of transcription and translation. To offer food products with greater nutrient density or improved functional health ingredients, modification of existing foods is needed to assure an improved diet. Policies to improve health require integration of nutrition needs with economic growth and development, agriculture and food production, processing, marketing, health care and education, and includes changing life styles and food choices. Increased research support is required to achieve national health goals with emphasis on nutrition and food sciences. Education methods must be improved to better inform consumers, to encourage food producers and manufactures to produce healthier foods, to assure training of future professionals and to provide legislators with the basis to make informed decisions. Recommendations to CFERR are identified. Improved quality and availability of nutritious foods will result in a healthier, more productive population. A decrease in the occurrence and duration of chronic disease should diminish the cost of health care and allow these resources to further benefit the nation. International concerns about undernutrition include 780 million people who are malnourished, lacking sufficient food to meet their basic nutritional needs for protein and energy, and 2 billion people who subsist on diets lacking essential nutrients needed for growth, development and physiological maintenance. National concerns about undernutrition exist based on incomplete data identified by indices of hunger and characterized by an increased demand for food assistance for women, children and the elderly. Major health problems in the US impacted by diet and nutrition include coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, some types of cancer, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, hypert
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PMID:Interrelationships of food, nutrition, diet and health: the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges White Paper. 889 67

Much research has focused on how the glycemic index (GI) of the diets of healthy people relates to long-term risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, and non-insulin dependent diabetes. Low-GI diets appear to produce some of their beneficial effects largely by moderating insulinemic responses to meals. Wolever and Bolognesi (1996) have derived a formula for predicting the insulinemic index (II) from the GI for starchy foods. Using data from Holt et al. (1995, 1997) on a wide variety of common foods, we have examined differences between the observed II and GI-based estimates of the II. These differences were found to correlate negatively with satiety index ratings and positively with contents of total sugars. We suggest that the aforementioned method of measuring and expressing the relation between the GI and the II may prove useful in exploring how various components and sensory properties of food may affect hunger and energy intake.
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PMID:Atypically high insulin responses to some foods relate to sugars and satiety. 1601 2

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) senses metabolic stress and integrates diverse physiological signals to restore energy balance. Multiple functions are indicated for AMPK in the CNS. While all neurons sense their own energy status, some integrate neuro-humoral signals to assess organismal energy balance. A variety of disease states may involve AMPK, so determining the underlying mechanisms is important. We review the impact of altered AMPK activity under physiological (hunger, satiety) and pathophysiological (stroke) conditions, as well as therapeutic manipulations of AMPK that may improve energy balance.
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PMID:AMPK in the brain: its roles in energy balance and neuroprotection. 1939 4

'Globesity' is a descriptive term for the obesity epidemic now facing the U.S. and indeed, the world. Hyperphagia (i.e. overeating) can lead to metabolic syndrome which in turn can lead to Type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. The World Health Organization even states that more people die each year from the consequences of obesity than from hunger. Something must be done to stem the tsunami of obesity and its resultant medical complications. Our work and that of others suggests that new obesity treatments and anti-obesity medications should be based on those already successful in treating other addictions. This paper looks at empirical evidence linking addictions to food and to drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine. Hypotheses are put forth as to why hyperphagia is so difficult to treat. Additionally, prenatal programming for addiction is explored. Lessons from successful drug treatment are elucidated and potential pharmaceutical targets for hyperphagia and obesity are suggested.
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PMID:Drug withdrawal and hyperphagia: lessons from tobacco and other drugs. 2149 91

Virtual reality (VR), a system of human-computer interaction that allows researchers and clinicians to immerse people in virtual worlds, is gaining considerable traction as a research, education, and treatment tool. Virtual reality has been used successfully to treat anxiety disorders such as fear of flying and post-traumatic stress disorder, as an aid in stroke rehabilitation, and as a behavior modification aid in the treatment of attention deficit disorder. Virtual reality has also been employed in research on addictive disorders. Given the strong evidence that drug-dependent people are highly prone to use and relapse in the presence of environmental stimuli associated with drug use, VR is an ideal platform from which to study this relationship. Research using VR has shown that drug-dependent people react with strong craving to specific cues (e.g., cigarette packs, liquor bottles) as well as environments or settings (e.g., bar, party) associated with drug use. Virtual reality has also been used to enhance learning and generalization of relapse prevention skills in smokers by reinforcing these skills in lifelike environments. Obesity researchers and treatment professionals, building on the lessons learned from VR research in substance abuse, have the opportunity to adapt these methods for investigating their own research and treatment questions. Virtual reality is ideally suited to investigate the link between food cues and environmental settings with eating behaviors and self-report of hunger. In addition, VR can be used as a treatment tool for enhancing behavior modification goals to support healthy eating habits by reinforcing these goals in life-like situations.
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PMID:What virtual reality research in addictions can tell us about the future of obesity assessment and treatment. 2152 92

The aim of the present paper is to review nutrition transition (NT) ongoing in low and middle income countries and the associated dietary changes. NT is accompanied by demographic and epidemiological transition associated with economic development and urbanisation. In these countries, while the problems of hunger and undernourishment persist, there is an escalation of diet-related non-communicable diseases; making them face both problems of malnutrition, under and overnutrition. Indeed, in addition to protein energy malnutrition underweight and micronutrient deficiencies affect a high proportion of children and women. Conversely, changes in dietary habits and physical activity patterns have led to emergence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, hyperlipidaemia, CHD and cancer. One possible explanation of weight gain and its associated health consequences is the trend of the consumption of already prepared meals and the restaurants that are in continuous development leading to high consumption of foods rich in sugar and fat. The health problems associated with NT have not spared populations in the Mediterranean area where the type of diet is reported to be healthy and to protect against cardiovascular risks. This is seen in North Africa that belongs also to the Mediterranean basin, where the nutritional situation raises the problem of traditional foods sustainability. Accurate nutritional policy and education are needed to redress the effects of malnutrition related to NT on health.
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PMID:Nutrition transition and food sustainability. 2482 39

The central nervous system regulates food intake, homoeostasis of glucose and electrolytes, and starts the sensations of hunger and satiety. Different nutritional factors are involved in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases. Patients with acute neurological diseases (traumatic brain injury, cerebral vascular accident hemorrhagic or ischemic, spinal cord injuries, and cancer) and chronic neurological diseases (Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease) increase the risk of malnutrition by multiple factors related to nutrient ingestion, abnormalities in the energy expenditure, changes in eating behavior, gastrointestinal changes, and by side effects of drugs administered. Patients with acute neurological diseases have in common the presence of hyper metabolism and hyper catabolism both associated to a period of prolonged fasting mainly for the frequent gastrointestinal complications, many times as a side effect of drugs administered. During the acute phase, spinal cord injuries presented a reduction in the energy expenditure but an increase in the nitrogen elimination. In order to correct the negative nitrogen balance increase intakes is performed with the result of a hyper alimentation that should be avoided due to the complications resulting. In patients with chronic neurological diseases and in the acute phase of cerebrovascular accident, dysphagia could be present which also affects intakes. Several chronic neurological diseases have also dementia, which lead to alterations in the eating behavior. The presence of malnutrition complicates the clinical evolution, increases muscular atrophy with higher incidence of respiratory failure and less capacity to disphagia recuperation, alters the immune response with higher rate of infections, increases the likelihood of fractures and of pressure ulcers, increases the incapacity degree and is an independent factor to increase mortality. The periodic nutritional evaluation due to the evolutionary changes should be part of the treatment. At the same time to know the metabolic and nutritional characteristics is important to be able to prevent and treat early the possible side effects. If nutritional support is indicated, the enteral route is the route of choice although some times, mainly in critical patients, parentral nutrition is necessary to ensure the administration of the required nutrients.
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PMID:[Nutritional and metabolic aspects of neurological diseases]. 2507 36

In the majority of cases, severe stroke is accompanied by difficulty in swallowing and an altered state of consciousness requiring artificial nutrition and hydration. Because of their artificial nature, nutrition and hydration are considered by law as treatment rather basic care. Withdrawal of these treatments is dictated by the refusal of unreasonable obstinacy enshrined in law and is justified by the risk of severe disability and very poor quality of life. It is usually the last among other withholding and withdrawal decisions which have already been made during the long course of the disease. Reaching a collegial consensus on a controversial decision such as artificial nutrition and hydration withdrawal is a difficult and complex process. The reluctance for such decisions is mainly due to the symbolic value of food and hydration, to the fear of "dying badly" while suffering from hunger and thirst, and to the difficult distinction between this medical act and euthanasia. The only way to overcome such reluctance is to ensure flawless accompaniment, associating sedation and appropriate comfort care with a clear explanation (with relatives but also caregivers) of the rationale and implications of this type of decision. All teams dealing with this type of situation must have thoroughly thought through the medical, legal and ethical considerations involved in making this difficult decision.
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PMID:[Withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration in severe stroke: medical, legal and ethical considerations]. 2568 84