This volume comprises the proceedings of the sixth International Symposium on Drugs Affecting Lipid Meta- bolism. Since the first of these symposia in 1960 these triennial meetings have been devoted to the exploration of new ideas, new data and new concepts related to lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. The sixth Meeting was particularly stimulating in this regard. The concept of the "protective" action of HDL was thoroughly explored within the framework of its molecular biology with data on its epidemiological as well as its in vitro mechan- ism(s) of action being discussed. The action of...

The recent symposium and the appearance of this new book on Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism take place at a very unusual time for the development of this area. After the publication and wide acceptance of the results of the cholestyramine study by the Lipid Clinics in the USA, showing for the first time a direct association between drug induced reduction of plasma levels of total and LDL cholesterol and coronary heart disease in a high risk population, an unparalleled interest in drugs and other procedures able to control plasma cholesterol levels has been activated. Two other significant...

The science of nutrition has advanced beyond expectation since Antoine La- voisier as early as the 18th century showed that oxygen was necessary to change nutrients in foods to compounds which would become a part of the human body. He was also the first to measure metabolism and to show that oxidation within the body produces heat and energy. In the two hundred years that have elapsed, the essentiality of nitrogen-containing nutrients and of proteins for growth and maintenance of tissue has been established; the ne- cessity for carbohydrates and certain types of fat for health has been docu-...

The role of nutrition in neoplasia has been of longstanding concern. The subject was addressed by investigators in the first decade of this century, but was dropped. Vigorous attention was paid to this area of oncology in the 1940s, primarily due to the efforts of Dr. A. Tannenbaum at the Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago and the group at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. However, interest waned again until the 1970s when the question of diet and cancer was addressed and it has since been at the forefront of cancer research. The present volume (7) of Human Nutrition: A Comprehensive...

Dietary fiber is a topic that has burgeoned from an esoteric interest of a few research laboratories to a subject of international interest. This growth has been helped by the intense public interest in the potential benefits of adding fiber to the diet. The general popularity of fiber may have been helped by the perception that, for once, medicine was saying "do" instead of "don't. " There has been a proliferation of excellent scientific books on dietary fiber. Why another? The Spring Symposium on Dietary Fiber in Health and Disease was an outgrowth of our belief that informal discussion...