序言美国在对重要的公共卫生问题的讨论中,矿物质和微量营养素(维生素和微量元素)比起脂肪、碳水化合物和总能量相对较不重视。这是由于过去预防方面的成功,实际上已经在许多国家(包括美国)消灭了严重的、威胁生命的营养缺乏性疾病,例如眼干燥病,坏血瘤病,佝偻病,痴呆症等,毫无疑问,这是医学和营养研究的显著成就。但是,随着探索的不断进行,又提出了新的假说。从补充某种维生素或微量元素可以预防癌或心血管病这种意义上来说,这些假说只是提出了有关疾病的多因素的假说。这些假说并不排除其它假说,而可看成是对现存的其它假说的补充(如饮食习惯,不活动或吸烟等与心血管病的关系)。下面对维生素和矿物质的讨论只限于美国和其它发达国家。虽然对那些仍然发生显著的营养缺乏病的地区来说关系不大,但随着急性营养缺乏病的解决,维生素和矿物质缺乏的问题就会显得重要起来。剂量——反应曲线现代对矿物质和微量营养素的探索集中围绕着一种营养素的“全或无作用”的问题。也 Preamble The United States discussed the important public health issues with less emphasis on minerals and micronutrients (vitamins and trace elements) than on fat, carbohydrates and total energy. This is because, in the past, the success of prevention has virtually eliminated serious and life-threatening nutritional-deficient diseases such as eye diseases, bad blood diseases, rickets, dementia, etc. in many countries (including the United States) Doubt, this is a notable achievement in medical and nutritional research. However, with the continuous exploration, new hypotheses were put forward. These hypotheses merely raise the multi-factor hypothesis about the disease in the sense that it can prevent cancer or cardiovascular disease by replenishing a vitamin or trace element. These hypotheses do not exclude other hypotheses and can be seen as complementary to other existing hypotheses (such as eating habits, inactivity, smoking or other cardiovascular diseases). The following discussion of vitamins and minerals is limited to the United States and other developed countries. Although less relevant to areas where significant nutritional deficiencies still occur, the issue of vitamin and mineral deficiencies can become significant with the resolution of acute nutritional deficiencies. Dose-Response Currents Modern exploration of minerals and micronutrients has focused on the “all or no effect” of a nutrient. and also