Nutrition and Food Sciences

Nutritional Immunology

13 Nutritional Immunology: The immune system plays crucial roles in protecting the host from pathogenic microbes, clearing damaged tissues, and surveilling cancerous cells. Over several decades, nutrition has been scrutinized as a modifiable factor affecting immune function, leading to the emergence of nutritional immunology as a prominent field of study. Just like other physiological systems, the immune system relies on adequate nutrition for optimal functioning. The link between nutritional status and immunity, as well as the host's resistance to infection, is well-documented. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in bolstering immunological defense and enhancing pathogen resistance, thereby impacting individual health, well-being, and reproductive success, along with significant ecological and evolutionary implications. Recent research suggests that increasing the intake of certain nutrients beyond current recommendations may optimize immunological activities, bolstering defensive mechanisms, enhancing infection resistance, and preserving tolerance.

Themes covered:

• Fitness Research and Immunity Development
• Dietary Fatty Acids (FA) and Modulation of Immune Function
• Dietary Influence of the Immune System
• Immunomodulatory Action of Vitamins and Minerals
• Microbial Modulators and the Immune System
• Nucleotides and Amino Acids in Immunomodulation
• Polyphenols (Phenolics and Flavonoids) on Immune Function
• Nutritive and Non-Nutritive Food Components