The ortho-molecular approach to medicine has been under constant criticism ever since its origin. One cause for this may be the somewhat conflicting experimental results, but I suggest that an even more important reason for the lack of acceptance results from the traditional conceptual approach towards nutrition. Understanding the nature of this conceptual hindrance may be relevant for the orth...

The socio-economic status in Vietnam has developed during the past decades. People become busier for work, and thus they do not have enough time to prepare meal for their children. The school meal program, organized by Department of Education, was first implemented at a kindergarten in 1977, which has been extended to elementary school since 1980. Up to date, 100% of kindergarten and approximat...

The human body requires a steady and adequate supply of essential nutrients in order to maintain balance—or homeostasis—to continue operating as a finely tuned machine. Of these required nutrients, vitamins and minerals are foundational. They are the sparkplugs that make our metabolic engines run, working as cofactors for enzymes and participating in the process of energy production. One minera...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of mortality in hemodialysis patients. Oxidative stress and hyperhomocysteinemia may contribute to an increased risk of CVD. Therefore, we assessed the status of antioxidant and homocysteine-lowering vitamins related to cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients at Vasei hospital in Sabzevar. METHODS In this cross-sectional stu...

Free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are generated continuously cause mutagenic alterations resulting in cancer, aging and abnormalities in the nervous system. Accumulating evidence indicates that Vitamin E, the most potent lipid peroxyl radical scavenger, may reduce free radical induced chromosomal damages through inhibition of free radical formation, and activation of endonuc...

BACKGROUND Women with untreated phenylketonuria (PKU) often have poor reproductive outcomes. OBJECTIVE We assessed the effects of intakes of major nutrients on plasma phenylalanine concentrations and we measured phenylalanine hydroxylase activity and phenylalanine intakes in pregnant women with PKU. DESIGN Dietary intakes and plasma phenylalanine concentrations were compared in 4 subject gr...

There is considerable controversy about the soundness and relevance of so-called "megavitamin" therapy for various illnesses. In this article it is suggested that this disagreement is caused to a large extent by the use of two very different approaches to nutrition, which are referred to here as the "nutritional need" and "optimal intake" approaches. It is clear that a re-evaluation of the goal...

A nutrition surveillance and nutritional improvement programme through nutrition field worker training, nutrition education and encouraging the utilization of home gardens was undertaken among rural preschoolaged children in the four counties of Linshu, Caoxin, Zoucheng and Yucheng in Shandong Province in China from 1990 to 1995. A baseline survey was conducted in 1990. This included physical a...

In Asia, the concept of dietary reference values is shifting from recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) to dietary reference intakes (DRIs). To assist Asian countries that are planning to develop or revise their own DRIs, this study summarizes the scientific literature used in the development of the latest DRIs for the Japanese (DRIs-J 2010): it aims to clarify critical issues on- and discuss f...