Food is one of the basic necessities of life, yet nutrition has only relatively recently been recognised as one of the most important determinants of individual and public health. A full understanding of this multi-faceted subject area requires an integrated approach, from molecular to societal level. Essentials of Human Nutrition provides a complete and student-friendly introduction to the field for those embarking on courses in nutrition, or related subjects, for the first time. Written by an international team of experts, every chapter is carefully edited to give consistently clear and coherent explanations of all of the essential principles of nutrition.The physiological and biochemical processes involved in nourishment are discussed first, before the text moves on to consider the different effects of diet and changing nutritional requirements at different life stages. The book concludes by illustrating how nutritional principles are applied in different practical contexts, from sports nutrition to food in hospitals.Online Resource Centre:Student Resources: Forest plot: forest plot discussed in Chapter 24 'Nutrition and Cancer', showing the results of a meta-analysis of observational studies of the relationship between waist circumference and postmenopausal breast cancer.Topical updates: periodic updates from the editors on the debate surrounding topical subjects.Weblinks: useful weblinks to journal articles cited in the book.Lecturer Resources: Figures from the book: available to download for use in lectures.