Vitamin A Deficiency: Health, Survival and Vision Book

Over the past decade and a half many studies have implicated vitamin A status as an important determinant of health. The World Bank now estimates that vitamin A intervention programs may be one of the most cost-effective health strategies in all of medicine. This new book, writtenby the leading investigators of this development, is the first to synthesize the many important studies to date and to identify and quantify the biological, clinical and public health impact of vitamin A deficiency on childhood growth, mortality and morbidity, including anemia and blindness. It deals with the epidemiology and biologic basis of these findings, and the impact of prevention and treatment, particularly of measles, diarrhea and xeorophthalmia. Alternative approaches for identifying individuals and populations in need of intervention, and the advantages and disadvantages of alternative strategies for improving vitamin A and carotenoids (James A. Olson) and the relationship between vitamin A status and immunity (Catherine Ross). This comprehensive volume on a critically important and widespread nutritional deficiency will serve as a unique resource for nutritionists, physicians, public health workers and policy makers. It will be especially relevant to clinicians and scientists in international health.Read More