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This update of the first edition of this book, which was published in 1997, follows a format in most of its 21 chapters of reviewing the literature, including the scientific efforts of the chapter authors, illustrating data by the use of tables and figures, and providing a set of bottom-line recommendations. Each chapter is well referenced. Organized into 6 parts of 3–5 chapters each, the topics covered include cancer, cardiovascular disease, health outcomes of other major diseases, pregnancy and infancy, global prevention, and resources (64 books and 24 websites including those of journals).
Many of the tables consist of lists and descriptions of studies in the discipline (animal and observational studies and clinical trials) that are referenced so that the reader can go directly to the sources and personally assess the evidence from the original data. The topics thus covered include homocysteine; folic acid and birth defects; cancers of the colon, stomach, and lung; childhood cancers; age-related macular degeneration; and preterm deliveries. The tables of the anticarcinogenic phytochemicals in fruit and vegetables are useful. A common theme in these tables is the need for more placebo-controlled human intervention trials.
On the basis of the evidence they provide, the authors recommend a return to the Paleolithic diet to prevent colon cancer and a cessation of smoking to prevent lung cancer because no diet will overcome that risk factor. The chapter on osteoporosis provides practical recommendations to increase calcium intake via low-fat dairy products and calcium-fortified foods and to increase vitamin D intake. Other findings presented in the book are 1) that the data do not support a relation between iron intake and heart disease; 2) that 5 servings per day of fruit and vegetables prevent cancer, heart disease, and perhaps age-related macular degeneration; reduce the incidence of birth defects; and stimulate the immune system; 3) that diminished immune function associated with aging can be improved in 6–12 mo with over-the-counter multivitamin supplements, even in the absence of any nutritional deficiency; 4) that vitamin A supplementation in developing countries favorably affects childhood mortality, especially from diarrheal diseases, and improves the outcome for patients with malaria, tuberculosis, and measles; 5) that the use of multivitamin supplements by Hungarian teenagers results in a decrease in congenital anomalies and neural tube defects; 6) that damage to sperm DNA, which results in birth defects, can be prevented by fortification of food with micronutrients, cessation of smoking, and limitation of alcohol intake; 7) that prenatal ingestion of polyunsaturated fatty acids improves brain and eye function in premature infants; and 8) that -linolenic acid is important in infant formulas. The book also contains important global perceptions of the Western diet and disease relation, which include the increase in childhood obesity in Asia and the association of increased rates of death from coronary artery disease and stroke in Japan with increased serum cholesterol concentrations.
For their next edition, the editors should consider including more book resources on aging and health promotion and listing both academic programs that provide education and training in preventive nutrition and professional societies or foundations that support the field of nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention. This book is recommended for the health professional as a readable, concise resource for up-to-date information.