Mineral absorption in the monogastric GI tract

The explosion of information published these days in the primary research literature represents in some ways a substantial barrier to the new investigator or researcher crossing over traditional boundaries between fields. Commonly held beliefs and practices of the field's cognoscente often are poorly understood or appreciated by researchers even in closely related areas. Although review articles offer some relief from this situation, a more complete overview of a subject can often only be had through the forum of a book. The desire to better understand factors in fluencing mineral absorption in the intestines provided the impetus for us to organize the symposium Mineral Absorption in the Monogastric GI Tract: Chemical, Nutritional and Physiological Aspects, held June 9-10, 1988 in Toronto, Canada, as part of the 195th National Meeting of the American chemical Society and the Third North American Chemical Congress. The criteria for inviting participants was that they be currently active in research pertinent to mineral absorption, be publishing results of their investigations and willing to participate in a forum designed to present diverse considerations of mineral absorption to a multidisciplinary audience. The individual chapters are mixtures of reviews anad original research. Conceptually, the material has been divided into two sections. The first focuses primarily on the mechanisms involved in the transport and uptake of cations such as iron, zinc and calcium from the intestinal lumen, through the epithelial cells, into the blood stream (absorption), and final dispersement to body tissues. The second section provides a amalgam of subjects that impact mineral absorption, mostly dietary components, but other considerations such as age and health related effects are covered as well. The editors realize that the subjects presented here are an incomplete representation of some important aspects of mineral absorption. Nevertheless, they will be pleased if this volume provides the reader an updated view and a deeper appreciation of the field. The editors thank the authors of these chapters for their contribution of time and knowledge to the original symposium and to this volume. The financial contributions of the Agricultural & Food Division of the American Chemical Society, the Pillsbury Company, and The Gerber Food Company to the symposium which produced these proceedings are gratefully acknowledged. The support and Encouragement of our colleagues within the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture is greatly appreciated. Finally, we thank Plenum press for providing the opportunity to present this material to a wider audience.