Nutrition and Health: Topics and Controversies explores in detail the relationship between diet, nutritional status, and disease, and evaluates nutritional practices intended to minimize the incidence of and slow the progress of major chronic illnesses. National trends in nutritional awareness and the resulting changes in consumer behavior are discussed. Unlike other books on this subject, the authors take a stand on controversial issues in the field and document their positions with scientific data. Nutrients such as calcium, vitamin E, selenium, and antioxidants, their importance in overall nutrition, and their role in specific diseases are covered. Expertise in nutritional science is not required to gain the highly practical information in this book.