Vitamin A (retinol) is an essential dietary compound with myriad metabolic and regulatory functions. More than 600 carotenoids have been identified in plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria, and around 50 carotenoids-includingcarotene-can be converted into vitamin. This volume reviews the medical use of carotenoids and vitamin A in cancer; diseases of the skin, eye, ear, and lung; and inflammatory bowel and metabolic diseases. It also discusses the analytics of carotenoids and the supply of carotenoids and vitamin A in developing countries. The book evaluates basic research, epidemiological studies, and clinical trials in the field.

Olaf Sommerburg works as a senior physician in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology at the University Children's Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. He is also a clinical researcher and involved as principal investigator in the Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (member of the German Lung Research Center, DZL). Dr. Sommerburg started his scientific career 20 years ago with research in the fields of oxidative stress and antioxidants. He has over 15 years of experience working with carotenoids and carotenoid cleavage products. He connects basic research with clinical questions and is currently involved in different clinical and translational research projects. In the last decade, he has worked successfully on projects on ophthalmology, nephrology, and pulmonology. He has published more than 60 scientific articles and book chapters.

Werner Siems serves as director of KortexMed Institute of Medical Education in Bad Harzburg, Germany and of the Research Institute of Physiotherapy and Gerontology at KortexMed. Dr. Siems has over 30 years of experience in clinics, especially orthopedics, education, and applied biochemical research, as well as in managing educational institutions. He is researcher on the fields of oxidative stress, aging, renal disease, and lymphoedema. He serves on several professional and scientific societies dedicated to lipid peroxidation and cardionephrology. He is a reviewer for a number of scientific journals, has published more than 300 scientific articles and book chapters, and has edited and co-edited nine books. Siems is also an active member of the Academy of Sciences, New York.

Klaus Kraemer is the director of Sight and Life, a humanitarian nutrition think tank that tries to improve the nutritional status of the world's most vulnerable populations. It guides original nutrition research, disseminates its findings, and facilitates dialogue to bring about positive change. D

Carotenoids and Vitamin A in Metabolic Diseases.Hepatic Retinoid Metabolism What Is Known and What Is Not. Metabolism of Vitamin A in White Adipose Tissue and Obesity. Retinoids in the Treatment of Psoriasis. Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Carotenoids. Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Vision across the Life Span. Assuring Vitamin A Adequacy to Prevent Eye and Ear Disorders. Disturbed Accumulation and Abnormal Distribution of Macular Pigment in Retinal Disorders. Retinol and Otitis Media. Carotenoids and Vitamin A in Cancer. Carotenoids and Mutagenesis. Carotenoids and Vitamin A in Lung Cancer Prevention. Is the Effect of Carotene on Prostate Cancer Cells Dependent on Their Androgen Sensitivity? Carotenoid Intake and Supplementation in Cancer: Pro and Con. Carotenoids and Vitamin A in Other Diseases. Vitamin A in Lung Development and Function. Vitamin A and Carotenoids in Lung Diseases. Chemopreventive Effects of Astaxanthin on Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Inflammation-Related Colon Carcinogenesis. Meeting Dietary Supply of Vitamin A and Carotenoids. Carotenoids in Laboratory Medicine. Supply of Vitamin A in Developing Countries. Vitamin A Intakes Are Below Recommendations in a Significant Proportion of the Population in the Western World. Critical Appraisal of Vitamin A Supplementation Program in India. Consequences of Common Genetic Variations on Carotene Cleavage for Vitamin A Supply. Index.