Nutrients, Stress and Medical Disorders

Although it has long been recognized that what we eat and how we deal with stress play a major role in disease prevention and treatment, it is only recently that the scientific basis of this relationship has been aggressively studied. In Nutrients, Stress, and Medical Disorders, prominent researchers from academia, industry, and medicine survey current clinical findings on the complex interactions between diet, mental health, and stress, and their impact on disease states. The authors consider specific nutrients (fatty acids, glucocorticoids, herbal products, and alcohol), the effects of food, and stress, taking into account even environmental influences other than diet and their effects on stress and central nervous system functions. They give special attention to the influence of stress on physical health, mental health, and cognitive function, including the critical effects of maternal nutritional status and stress levels on fetal physical and mental development, the role of lipids in the development and treatment of depression, the role of fish oil in the development of aggressive behaviors, and the consequences of obesity on stress and the development of eating disorders. Additional chapters examine the effects of stress on chronic disorders, women, and cardiac function, and the influence of inflammation on diet, neurological functions, disease incidence, and cognitive functions.