NUTRIENTS, INFECTIOUS AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES

Nutrients, Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases

A balanced diet with sufficient essential nutritional elements is critical for maintaining a healthy body. Both nutritional excess and deficiency are associated with disease. For example, nutritional excess, particularly in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, coupled with physical inactivity, can result in chronic inflammatory conditions such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, deficiencies in essential nutrients can lead to stunted growth, poor immune function and classical conditions such as scurvy, osteoporosis, depression and xeropththalmia.

The gastrointestinal (GI) track takes in food and water, digests the food, extracts the nutrients and expels undigested/unabsorbed material as waste. Nutrients such as amino acids, oligosaccharides, and short-chain fatty acids have been recognized to be beneficial to the GI track and to human health in general, and they participate in shaping the immune system and in energy metabolism. Short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) are also produced naturally by the intestinal microbiome acting on prebiotics such as oligosaccharides and other indigestible fermentable fibers.

GI infection by microbial, viral or parasitic agents alters the gut microbiome and increases permeability to toxins. The microbiome is further altered by ingested antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. Microbial invasion stimulates inflammation, a defensive mechanism of the body’s immune system. This helps clear the invading microorganisms.

However, persistent and excessive inflammatory response is a significant risk factor for developing various chronic inflammatory conditions and cancer, and increases the risk of succumbing to infectious diseases, owing to T cell exhaustion.

The collection of articles in this issue have been compiled to help illuminate the contribution nutrients make to the prevention, treatment and taming of a range of inflammatory and infectious diseases.