Editorial [Hot Topic:Role of Food and Nutritional Factors in Metabolic Syndrome X,Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases (Guest Editor: Undurti N. Das)]

Nutrition plays an important role in various diseases. It is known that consumption of energy dense diet, lack of exercise, and other life style factors lead to obesity and its associated conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. There is reasonable evidence to support the contention that certain types of cancers are more common in subjects with obesity. With an increase in affluence and changes in life style factors, and adoption of Western dietary habits seem to have accelerated the increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome X even in developing countries such as India, China and other Asian nations. Thus, obesity, and its associated diseases including metabolic syndrome X are assuming epidemic proportions in both developed and developing nations. Hence, urgent measures are needed to arrest the progress of this epidemic. In view of this, the present special issue of Current Nutrition and Food Science is devoted to the relationship between dietary factors and various diseases. The topics covered include: metabolic syndrome X, cancer, antioxidant properties of green tea extract, antibiotic-like actions of Propolis, chemoprotective effects of conjugated linolenic acids obtained from plant seed oils, vitamin E and bone quality, relationship between Mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome X, clinical significance of various lipid mediators, and bioinformatics approach to insulin resistance syndrome. The contributors to this special issue have come from varied backgrounds and this ensured that a broad range of topics is covered. I trust that readers enjoy this special issue. It will be my pleasure to hear the opinion of the readers about the topics covered.