The World Health Organization (WHO), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is an international group of one hundred and ninety-one member states devoted to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all people throughout the world. Member states are divided into six geographic regions: Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Americas, Africa, the Western Pacific, and Europe. The director genera ...

Women have special nutritional needs due to hormonal changes that occur with menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause, all of which alter the recommended daily intake of nutrients. Of the many diseases that affect women, five have a scientific-based connection to nutrition: iron-deficiency anemia, osteoporosis, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. In addition, many women look t ...

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is funded and administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture in partnership with states and local agencies. Its purpose is to serve as an adjunct to good health care during critical times of growth and development in order to prevent the occurrence of health problems. It serves pr ...

With over 50 percent of the population of the United States and other industrialized countries being either overweight  or obese, a great number of people want to lose weight. However, weight loss is not easy—and not often successful. Weight gain is a result of consumed energy in the form of high-calorie foods eaten in excess of the body's need for energy. An adult's body needs energy to provide for its phy ...

Definition Water is hydrogen oxide and it is composed of two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen. It has a molecular weight of 18.016 and is the most universal solvent known. Purpose Water is the most universal solvent known. In the human body, it is capable of dissolving simple elements, ions and large organic molecules. Because of water's ability to maintain these materials in solution, the v ...

Because they dissolve in fat, vitamins  A, D, E, and K are called fat-soluble vitamins. They are absorbed from the small intestines, along with dietary fat, which is why fat malabsorption resulting from various diseases (e.g., cystic fibrosis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease) is associated with poor absorption of these vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are primarily stored in the liver and adipose tissues. ...

Definition Vegetarianism refers to the practice of excluding meat, poultry, and fish from the diet. The word was coined in 1847, when the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom—the oldest organized vegetarian group in the world—was founded in Ramsgate, Kent. The Society, which has included George Bernard Shaw and Mahatma Gandhi among its members, chose the word vegetarian for its name because it is derive ...

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was created in 1946. It was renamed the United Nations Children's Fund in 1953, when the fund's focus changed from emergency aid to on going support of children's needs. The acronym UNICEF was retained, however. With eight regional offices and 125 country offices, UNICEF strives to create a world where all children share in the joy and prom ...

A person is considered underweight if his or her body mass index  (BMI) falls below a certain threshold (body mass index is a measure determined by a person's age, height, and weight). For infants and children, a BMI below the 10th percentile for a specific age indicates an individual who is underweight. For adults, a BMI below 19.1 for females and 20.7 for males is considered underweight. A BMI of 17.5 ind ...

Toxemia is the presence of abnormal substances in the blood, but the term is also used in reference to a condition in pregnancy also known as preeclampsia. This refers to pregnancy-induced hypertension (high blood pressure) and any possible accompanying symptoms, such as quick or sudden weight gain, water retention, and excessive swelling of the feet, hands, and face. The condition is most common among firs ...