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Molecular Aspects of Alcohol and Nutrition is a valuable resource for nutrition researchers and nutritionists who study or treat alcohol-related diseases. Experts from across the field of alcohol research explain how alcohol disrupts normal fat, carbohydrate, and protein metabolic processes occurring in the liver as well as other parts of the body. The book discusses how this can lead to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) as well as contribute to the onset of Type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. It also explores how alcohol affects nutrient absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to anemia and reduced amounts of fat soluble vitamins. This book explores both the primary and secondary consequences of alcohol consumption. Chapters in the first section investigate the basic science of alcohol metabolism – focusing on how alcohol and its toxic metabolites disrupt and impair normal nutrient regulation at the molecular level. Further chapters explore how alcohol affects many extra-hepatic organs and tissues as well as the secondary consequences of alcohol consumption such as reduced levels of minerals like magnesium, calcium, and trace elements like zinc. - Offers a valuable resource for nutrition researchers and nutritionists who study alcohol-related diseases and attempt to treat them through nutritional strategies - Explores how alcohol and its toxic metabolite acetaldehyde disrupt and impair normal macro and micro nutrient regulation at the molecular level - Investigates how alcohol affects and interferes with cell signaling, cell death pathways, calcium homeostasis leading to osteoporosis, oxygen balance, as well as the pathophysiology of alcohol consumption and abuse

This volume of Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science focuses on the molecular basis of drug addiction. - Contains contributions from leading authorities - Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

This comprehensive, edited book explores carotenoids and their important functional roles in yeast, bacteria and plants and a profound exposition on the structures of carotenoid molecules, focusing in the first of three parts on the biosynthesis of carotenoids. The regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis in photosynthesis as well as in plant, fruits, storage roots and algae is central to the second part, and discoveries about the function of carotenoids in human health feature in the third and final part. Many helpful illustrations, explanations, overviews and examples help to bring readers up to date on relevant themes including carotenogenic genes, carotenoids in fruits and metabolic engineering. The book explores where carotenoids are synthesized in nature, including in carrots and algae. Contributing expert authors examine enzyme functions and plant models, and analyze the structure of carotenoid molecules. The function of carotenoids in photosynthesis and in photosynthetic organs as well as during fruit ripening are then explored. A whole chapter is dedicated to the latest research on apocarotenoids and further chapters cover interesting and novel themes on plastid development and the epigenetic regulation that affects carotenoid synthesis in plants. The metabolic engineering of carotenoids that has been done in fruits, plants, and seeds is another area that readers can explore, along with evidences on the function of carotenoids in human nutrition, as antioxidants, as in the control of lipid metabolism and in the absorption of carotenoids. This is a highly informative and wide-ranging work which will update researchers in the field, as well as supporting students of plant physiology and biotechnology, as supplementary reading.

Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking are among the major risk factors for cancer. Simultaneous indulgence further increases the risk for especially cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract due to the interaction of several metabolic and genetic factors. The first part of this book addresses in detail the correlations between alcohol and carcinogenicity, focusing on specific organs such as the upper aerodigestive tract, liver, colon, pancreas and breast. This includes the impairment of methionine-folate metabolism and DNA methylation by alcohol, as well as the use of s-adenosylmethionine to prevent cancer. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of reactive oxygen species and iron in producing liver cancer are addressed. The second part is dedicated to the role of tobacco in lung and digestive tract cancers and to their prevention, highlighting the role of phytochemicals. More specifically, the mutagenic, mitogenic, precarcinogenic, anti-apoptotic, and immunosuppressive properties of nicotine which are involved in the development of cancer, and the possible use of nicotine vaccine in the prevention of mortality associated with tobacco, are discussed. Highlighting general mechanisms leading to cancer and providing the latest information on the underlying mechanisms whereby alcohol consumption and tobacco use initiate and/or promote carcinogenesis, this book is a valuable source of information for all those interested in the topic.