Voeding en gezondheid

- In this issue the journal publishes the first of a series of articles on nutrition and health. Dutch investigators have contributed to food research since the work of Eijkman and co-workers on vitamins at the end of the nineteenth century. During the last forty years, food research has moved towards investigating the role of nutrients in the prevention of diseases with a long latency and in specific population groups, e.g. the elderly and people with hypertension or obesity. More recent research has focused on enriched food products and biotechnologically manufactured nutritional elements. The series will discuss subjects such as dietary reference intakes, dietary infections, dietary requirements of the elderly and patients in hospitals and rehabilitation institutions, and the beneficial and detrimental effects of alcohol consumption. This will enable the clinician to provide answers to patients' questions regarding their diet and to recommend a healthy diet.