Vitamins -- especially B- and D-vitamins -- influence the development and outcome of many neurodegenerative and other diseases. Among others, dementia, neural tube defects, epilepsy, and osteoporoses can be caused by vitamin deficiency. This book provides up-to-date knowledge on the role of water and fat soluble vitamins in the prevention of human diseases. Having knowledge about the association of vitamins and disease, as well as keeping track on the patient's vitamin status has become increasingly important to every physician and clinical chemist.

This book provides up-to-date knowledge on the dietary recommendations of the vitamins, their role in human metabolism and the prevention of human diseases and the role of their deficiency in disease development. Comprehensive informations about important human disorders which are associated with vitamin deficiency: neural tube defects, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive dysfunction, dementia, epilepsy, osteoporosis, thrombosis, diabetes mellitus, coagulopathies, cancer, infectious diseases, anaemia, pregnancy complications, eye diseases and others. This book touches nearly all medical disciplines, it is therefore of interest for a great variety of medical experts. This book provides up-to-date knowledge on the role of water and fat soluble vitamins in the prevention of human diseases. The vitamins are essential food constituents with magnificent biological effects therefore, linking our biology to our lifestyle and environment. One-sided nutrition, smoking, alcohol, genetic factors, and even geographical origin interfere with our dietary intake of the vitamins. Therefore, it is not wondering that insufficient vitamin intake can impact our health and contribute significantly to the development of numerous diseases. The book offers expert reviews and judgements on the role of vitamins in our health and the link between vitamins deficiency and disease conditions at different life stages. Having knowledge about the association of vitamins and disease, as well as keeping track on the patient's vitamin status has become increasingly important to physicians, clinical chemists, epidemiologists, specialists in nutrition, health professionals, researchers, and students who are interested in this area. Recent development in laboratory methods has helped making many issues in this field quantitative. - Publisher.