Epidemiologia

Nutricional epidemiology

The field of nutricional epidemiology. Has developed from interest in the concept that aspectos of diet may influence the occurrence of human disease

It has used Basic epidemiology methods. For more than 200 years to identify Essentials nutrients. Lind 1753 (scurvy) Vit. C

Goldvereger (1964) pelagra

Deficiency epidemiological Studies confronts. The primary focus of contemporary nutricional epidemiology.

The major disease of western civilization. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes.

Unlike nutricional deficiencias these diseases almost always have multiple causes:

Diet, genetic, occupational, psicosocial behavioral.

These conditions are not reversible. And may result from excessive as well as insufficient intake of dietary factors.

The tradicional methods of nutritionist

Animal experimentation, Basic biochemistry, metabolic studies.

Contribute substantially but do not address directly the realtion between diet and occurrence of mayor disease.

Although epidemiologic effort originally concentrated on infectious deseases. Contemporary epidemiologist are accustomed to the study.

Diseases with low frequency. Long latency periods. Multiple causes.

Although epidemiology is logically equipped to address the dietary causes. The complex natura of diet, has posed a difficult Challenge to this dicipline.

A lot of information on literature. Example cigarette smoking. Easy to get quantitive information

With few exceptions: all individuals are exponed to fat, fiber, vit A.

Diet:

No characterized as presento or absent. They are continuous variables, with limited range of variation.

Individuals are generally not aware of the content of the foods taht they eat. Therefore the consumption of nutrients is usually determined indirectly based on report or on biochemical measurements.

The most serious limitation to research in nutricional epidemiology. Has been the lack of practice methods to measure diet.

In Studies with thousands of subjects the diestary method must be not only reasoblable achúrate but also relatively inexpensive. The diets of persons within one country are too homogeneous to detect relationships

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