The improvement of life expectancy and quality is a primary goal of modern societies in both developed and developing countries. However, according to the World Health Organization, the global burden of diseases were estimated to be more than 2.74 billion DALYs with about 56.00 million global total deaths in 2012. In 2030, the projected global burden of diseases and global total deaths are similar to or even higher than that in 2012. What are the causes of DALYs and deaths? What proportion do the causes contribute to global DALYs and deaths? Are global DALYs and deaths preventable? Are daily diets associated with global DALYs or deaths? What is the significance of diets contributing to global DALYs or deaths? Answers to these questions should be vital for the prevention and reduction of global DALYs and deaths. Over 90% of causes contributing to the global total DALYs or deaths are modifiable or causable by daily diets. Therefore, understanding the association of diets with diseases is very necessary for us to reduce the global total DALYs or deaths in the future. Because of vast information about diets and diseases in literature, it is very difficult to fully encompass this data in a single manuscript. This book opts to collect a selected overview of association of diets with some important diseases. This book includes ten chapters. In Chapter One, it is well-researched and subsequently concluded by the authors that diets should be critical factors that can modify or even cause diseases, which significantly contribute to the global burden of diseases or deaths. In Chapter Two, their research, production, applications, regulations and future developments are discussed in detail. In Chapter Three, the evidence from experimental and clinical studies to show the potential effect of polyphenols from tea, coffee and cacao on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases are reviewed. In Chapter Four, the dietary causes of kidney diseases and their prevention by proper diet management are described. In Chapter Five, the dietary risk factors and prevention by proper diets are fully summarised. In Chapter Six, the liver disease risk factors existing in human diets are analysed. In Chapter Seven, the authors discuss how diets can play significant roles in the management or development of liver diseases. In Chapter Eight, the theories related to bone problems with respect to the hypo and hyper conditions of nutrients in relation to bone related problems and proper diet management to prevent them are examined in detail. In Chapter Nine, the association of arthritis and their various forms, causes and symptoms with improper diets and its prevention by diet management are introduced. Finally, in Chapter Ten, the association of diet with overweight individuals, obesity and its prevention by proper diet management are extensively discussed.

Although successful efforts have been greatly exerted to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), it currently causes the most number of global deaths among all kinds of diseases. This book has comprehensively reviewed dietary risk factors for CVDs. There are several approved dietary risk factors for CVDs in our daily diets and foods. The dietary risk factors include toxicities caused by an over-consumption of cholesterol, energy, saturated fatty acids, saccharides (especially fructose), iron, sodium, alcohol, niacin, homocysteine, alkaloids (such as synephrines, caffeine, tyramine, dopamine, histamine, and cyanide), nucleic acids and trans-fatty acids. Other extensive factors include the metabolites of choline-containing compounds or L-carnitine, and environmental contaminants such as mercury and cadmium; the deficiencies of folate and vitamins D, B6, or B12; the toxicity or deficiency of magnesium; and the consumption of sweetened soft drinks. Underweight, or even normal weight individuals might not decrease the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases because the deficiency of some nutrients, and alkaloids in the above mentioned chapters that are able to control weight could also damage the cardiovascular system. It seems that the association of all these risk factors in blood with CVDs has been well established, though some controversial opinions on some risk factors exist. Therefore, it should be worth carrying out further studies on the correlation of these risk factors in foods with the occurrence of CVDs.

This book intends to review the current status of the systematic knowledge related to the chemical composition, production and applications of edible oils. It is written principally based on the data that have been published in scientific journals, academically specialized books or internet websites and author's secondry innovation. The knowledge introduced in the book should be very useful for farmers or oilseeds processing enterprises, or scientists who are interested in developing their sustainable resources and their processing technology. They are also worthwhile as reference materials for training students intending to work with oilseeds production or processing industry. The central scope of this book is associated with the review of recent research results or developments and future tendency with respect to the chemical components, production and applications of edible oils. More than 40 species of oil seeds or raw materials have high oil content. Oils from these raw materials are edible. In addition to providing essential fatty acids and energy, all edible oils also contain fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin E and carotenoids (pro-vitamin A) and other functional compounds such as sterols, phospholipids, squalene, etc. which are reviewed in this book. Some particular species of edible oils also contain unique functional compounds, which are not present in other kinds of edible oils. The world's production of edible oils, their processing technology and their application in the food industry or other industries are also reviewed in this book. Especially, with respect to the extraction of edible oils, an advanced aqueous method recently published has achieved a high recovery rate of oils with high quality, which has a different mechanism as compared with the traditional aqueous method using large quantities of water. The de-oiled residue produced by this aqueous method can be applied to the food industry. This kind of aqueous method has the potential of knocking other methods out and becoming a classic procedure for the commercial production of edible oils in the future. The first chapter of this book is about the overview of edible oils while the following chapters review major specific edible oils that are popularly produced and consumed in the world.

This monograph discusses systematic knowledge related to the science and technology of sustainable food resources. The book is written principally based on the authors own research results that have been published in scientific journals and academically specialized books. The knowledge introduced in the book should be very useful for farmers, food resources production enterprises, governmental administrators who are involved in making food policies, or scientists who are interested in developing sustainable food resources and their production systems. This monograph could also be used as a textbook for students intending to work with sustainable food resources.

This book is intended for use as reference literature suitable for scientists, teachers, students, and others who are interested in leaf sweeteners that are currently employed in food and beverage industries. All chapters in this book have been written by scientists from related disciplines with a wide range of backgrounds. It is considered that the widest possible interaction of viewpoints and expertise is necessary for transcending the present state of leaf sweeteners as expeditiously as possible. Some overlaps of information in some chapters provided by different authors are allowed in this book, the purpose of which is to prove the precision of viewpoints or results of each other. It is believed that a human being is normally born to like sweets. Unfortunately, traditional calorie-containing sugars are unhealthy because they may cause obesity, diabetes and dental caries. For this reason, there is a great increase in the demand for new alternative "low calorie" or "non-calorie" sweeteners for dietetic and diabetic needs worldwide. This book has collected information about sweeteners from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, Rubus suavissimus S. Lee and Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd. The sweet components in the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni are proven mainly to be steviol glycosides (including steviosides and rebaudiosides). The sweet components in the leaves of Rubus suavissimus S. Lee are rubusosides. The sweet components in the leaves of Lithocarpus polystachyus Rehd are dihydrochalcone glycosides.

It is believed that this is the first book to summarise the varieties, chemical components, healthy benefits and other functional applications of green tea. This book is intended for use as a reference book suitable for scientists, teachers, students and others who are interested in the interaction of tea components with human health and their application in food or other industries.