Beriberi: symptom of thiamin deficiency

Beriberi, a serious thiamine-deficiency disease is most prevalent in Asians, who subsists mainly on diets of enriched rice and wheat. Although this disease is uncommon in the United States, alcoholics may develop cardiac beriberi with high output heart failure neuropathy and cerebral disturbances.

In times of stress, malnourished young adults mat develop beriberi; infantile beriberi may appear I’m infants on low-protein diet or in those breast-fed by thiamine-deficient mothers.

Beriberi has been described from a neurological point of view in prisoners of war. In this description the key feature in prisoners with was presence of foot and wrist drop. This finding was associate with tenderness of muscles over the lateral portion of the legs lateral aspect of the thighs and lateral forearms.

Beriberi affecting the peripheral nervous system predominantly was known as ‘dry beriberi’. If heart failure was the major manifestation, the condition was called ‘wet beriberi’. In Britain and North America, beriberi heart disease is seen in alcoholics.

In wet beriberi there is degeneration and demyelination of both sensory and motor nerves resulting in severe waiting of muscles. The vagus band other autonomic nerves can also be affected.
Beriberi: symptom of thiamin deficiency

Food-borne zoonotic diseases

Diseases like tuberculosis or brucellosis can be transmitted from animals to humans through food.

Many food borne pathogens are zoonotic organism, and animal shipped from global markets may expose individuals to new pathogens.

Travelers may eat foods that are not thoroughly cooked or drinks untreated water, and as consequence, they may become ill and take a new pathogen home with them.

Zoonoses are infection and diseases that are naturally transmissible directly or indirectly, for example via contaminated foodstuffs, or animals to humans. There are more than 800 humans pathogens are zoonotic.

The severity of these diseases in humans varies from mild symptoms to life threatening conditions.

In many countries, bacterial food-borne zoonotic infections are the most common cause of human intestinal diseases, with Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. accounting from over 90% of all reported cases of bacteria-related food poisoning worldwide.
Food-borne zoonotic diseases

Nutrition – The Chemistry of Life

Nutrition – The Chemistry of Life
Nutrition may be defined as a series of processes by which an organism takes in and assimilates food to promote growth, to expend energy, to place worn or injured tissue, and to prevent some diseases. However nutrition encompasses many processes, and thus, it may given many definition.

Mendel among other, has been quoted as defining nutrition as “The Chemistry of Life.” Mendel’s definition may be most appropriate from the scientist’s point of view, because the processes by which food components are assimilated, converted and utilized are understood and properly managed only when their chemistry is understood.

Now much of the chemistry of life is understood reasonably well, and most nutritional deficiencies could be easily diagnosed and successfully treated. Nutritional requirements and food energy values are well known, and the public is becoming better informed about these and vitamin and mineral needs, as well.

Still, the interrelationship among food constituents, particularly as related to metabolism, and the delicately balanced chemistry of the body sometimes place a thoroughly understanding of nutrition well beyond our present capabilities.

Therefore, although the mechanisms for studying specific aspects of nutrition are presently available, many aspects of nutrition can be studied only by observing the organism’s total response (e.g., long term animal feeding studies for determining of a food additive might have adverse effects on the consumer).
Nutrition – The Chemistry of Life