Iron deficiency in infancy is very widespread, even in developed countries and even when there is no general malnutrition. This book examines the question whether iron deficiency in early life leads to deleterious changes in brain and/or behavioural development. Each of the nine contributors comments critically on each of the other eight chapters, so that the book is very extensively peer-reviewed. The evidence is set out so that the reader may make his own informed judgement. Iron deficiency could very easily be prevented; this fact is of prime importance if such deficiency has long-lasting effects on human intellectual capacity and achievement.

Certain long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) are thought to be essential components of the nutrition of infants, including those prematurely born, in the sense that they cannot be synthesises by the immature organism and must therefore be supplied in the diet. Breast milk contains these substances, but many manufactured infant formulae do not.An absence of dietary LCPUFAs has been thought to affect the development of the brain and retina, possibly leading to abnormalties in cognitive and visual function. Considerable multidisciplinary research has been carried out to investigate this proposition. Diets free from LCPUFAs have been compared with supplemented formulae, or with breast milk.The conclusions from this research were critically examined by a group of leading paediatricians, nutritionists, experts in visual science and developmental behavioural scientists at a 'Dobbing Workshop' held in the United States in late February, 1997. Each of the Chapters was precirculated to the whole group, commented on before the Workshop, and then exhaustively discussed. The Chapters and Commentaries which are published here have therefore undergone a more extensive peer-review process than is usually the case.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

This book brings together experts in developmental and clinical psychology and behavorial neuroscientists concerned with the course of developmental in the face of pre and perinatal adversity. For graduate-level researchers and academics

This volume provides a survey of the links between nutrition and the brain. It examines many of the mechanisms by which diet and individual nutrients are known to modify brain development, biochemistry and function, and evaluates current practices in the use of the diet for the prevention and treatment of disorders affecting brain function. It also highlights the need to consider issues related to brain function in the development and evolution of national policies for treating nutritional deficiencies and excesses. Written by leading investigators and clinicians, this publication will help practitioners, clinical investigators and scientists appreciate the broad opportunities awaiting investigation, and ultimately, clinical applications, in this dynamic and expanding area of investigation.

Anemias resulting from nutritional factors constitute the largest nutrition health problem affecting populations in both developed and developing nations. Nutritional Anemias examines these anemias in detail and offers a balanced approach that includes current research findings on the etiology and consequences of this important problem. Th

This handbook of nutrition and diet provides information on food nutrients and their functions; food safety and distribution; food composition, consumption and utilization; adequacy of diet; and the nutritional management of diseases and disorders. It also discusses the effects of nutrition and diet on diseases of the bones, teeth, hair, kidneys, liver and nervous system.