Nutrition is pivotal to every aspect of human health. In psychical and mental development and from conception to death, good nutrition ensures optimum human performance in all areas of life. The consequences of poor nutrition are clearly seen in developed and developing countries alike, in the types of illness that prevail and the most common causes of premature death. Essentials of Human Nutrition has already astablished itself as the most reliable and accessible textbook for students embarking on courses in human nutrition. It has been adopted as a course textbook in several countriers and has proven to be an invaluable reference work for medical students, doctors and other health professionals requiring up-to-date, authoritative information on the role of nutrition in monitoring human health, in the causes and treatments of human illnesses and chronic disease prevention. This new edition builds on the success of the first by keeping the information contained as current as possible. All the sections have been thoroughly revised and updated and a new chapter on 'Functional Foods' has been added to this comprehensiveness of the coverage. Other topics include: Detailed analysis of all the major food groups; Disorders related to inappropriate food intake; Measuring nutrition; Exploration of changing needs through the life stages; Public health issues; Individual case studies.