Review articleMicronutrients in women’s health and immune function
Introduction
Lawrence J. Machlin was a true renaissance scientist with broad interests in the physiologic and preventive roles of vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive molecules in human health.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 I had the privilege of working with Larry as a colleague and peer on a collaborative project to determine whether vitamin E affected the immune functions of laboratory animals.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Larry never mentioned that he was the leading expert in vitamin E; he simply pointed me to several of his seminal papers on the requirements of vitamin E for muscle integrity, reproductive success, and cardiovascular muscle function and a number of other key references. Larry cochaired two New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) symposia on vitamin E. My “bibles” were the two annals that Larry coedited after those meetings in 1981 and 1988.12, 13
The results of our initial collaboration were very exciting and I was asked to join the Vitamin Research group at Roche. I then had the experience of working for Larry, as he was my supervisor for more than a decade at Roche. We worked together to move the laboratory findings for vitamin E and other antioxidants into clinical studies, and we were fortunate to work on the carotenoids as that science was just getting started.14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 In the almost 20 y that we worked together, Larry and I coauthored 13 peer-reviewed papers and were coauthors of the text, Vitamin Intake and Health.26 Larry also edited his Handbook of Vitamins published in 1984 and issued the revised edition in 1991.30, 31 In 1986, he cochaired the NYAS conference on vitamin C.27 Larry’s favorite NYAS meeting that he cochaired and named was “Beyond Deficiency: New Views on the Function and Health Effects of Vitamins,” held in 1991 and published in 1992.28 At the same time, Larry, as Director of the Department of Clinical Nutrition at Roche, spearheaded collaborations with more than 100 academic researchers worldwide, and we provided clinical supplies (actives and matched placebos) specially formulated for numerous intervention studies, funding, labeled and purified vitamins and carotenoids for analytics and stable isotope studies, and technical expertise and advice.
Larry also introduced me to the world of editing professional reference books and I worked closely with him to revise his classic Handbook of Vitamins.30, 31 In addition, Larry opened the doors for me to enter the area of women’s health with Roche’s involvement in the unfolding story of folic acid and the prevention of serious birth defects.32, 33, 34, 35, 36 As Director, Larry set the supportive agenda and strongly encouraged me to organize the two NYAS symposia on “Micronutrients and Immune Functions” held in 198937 and “Maternal Nutrition and Pregnancy Outcome” held in 1992.34 When Larry retired, he remained active as a consultant until the day he passed away and thus continued to contribute to our knowledge of the importance of antioxidant vitamins, carotenoids, and many other bioactive molecules in preventing disease and optimizing health. The true legacy of Larry’s encouragement, enthusiasm, and dedication to scientific advancements in the area of micronutrients and optimizing human health may never be fully told because he gave so much to the researchers in this field.
After I left Roche and began research involving calcium and vitamin D, Larry was as interested in these new findings as he was in any of the studies with the antioxidants. Most importantly for me on a personal level, throughout the almost 20 y I knew him, Larry was a true mentor. Larry and his dear wife, Ruth, became close friends to me and my husband and we shared many life events including the births of our grandchildren and vacation photographs of natural wonders. As my tribute to Larry, this paper highlights many of the findings of the past decade on the critical roles of the essential nutrients in women’s health and immune function.
Section snippets
Women’s health
The studies that are highlighted in this overview were chosen mainly because of the involvement of Larry, myself, or both of us in the initiation, development, and/or expansion of the scientific knowledge base. Women’s health is a term that covers many topics; this review is limited to nutritional aspects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), pregnancy outcomes including reduction in birth defects, preterm and low–birth-weight (LBW) outcomes, preeclampsia, and osteoporosis.
Conclusions
Lawrence J. Machlin contributed greatly to our understanding of the importance of optimal intakes of micronutrients for enhancing health and reducing the risk of chronic disease. There are several essential nutrients that have been shown to affect women’s health throughout their different life stages (Table I). With the commencement of menstruation, requirements for certain micronutrients appear to be critical for the maintenance of good health throughout the menstrual cycle. PMS symptoms
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