Changing patterns of disease: some nutritional remarks

Abstract

In the last century the way of life and the way of death have changed in the United States. Infectious diseases have been replaced by diseases of apparently complex origin. Inborn errors of metabolism are more common than the classical deficiency diseases. The discovery of vitamins and the essentiality of trace elements occurred in the 20th century. Plenty of characteristics have been identified to assess vitamin nutriture; methods of assessing trace element nutriture are less well developed. Newly discovered aspects of copper physiology are potentially useful in establishing requirements.