Advances in Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endoscopy

Nutrition, Obesity and Eating Disorders

Gastrointestinal tract, including the liver and pancreas, is a complex system whose function is to process a wide range of nutrient and other products enabling their absorption as well as detoxification and excretion. During the process, food is converted into energy and into other substances that are used by cells throughout the entire body. Many diseases can affect the various organs of the gastrointestinal system and diet plays a relatively minor role in the onset of such gastrointestinal diseases. Gastrointestinal disease many result from deficiency or excess of specific nutrients in normal individuals. In allergic or susceptible subjects, diseases such as food allergy, disaccharides intolerance and gluten sensitive enteropathy may occur with intake of normal daily requirements. It is also vital to understand the role of obesity and common eating disorders in regards to gastroenterology as well as the techniques of enteral and parenteral nutrition support.