title: "There is many a slip twixt the lip and the cell".
abstract: My title is, of course, a parody of a well-known aphorism "There is many a slip twixt the cup and the lip". It opens up consideration of the many processes through which food has to pass after entering the mouth and before the contained nutrients satisfactorily nourish the individual cells of which the body is composed. It implies that the consumption of an adequate and nutritious diet does not necessarily ensure good health. The aim of this paper is to show that whereas we know very well what quantity of nutrients need to be consumed for health, we still know comparatively little about what happens to the foods after they have been consumed and started on the way to their metabolism by the cells of the body. Some conditioning factors are well-known temproary or permanent disturbances of normal metabolism and excretion. Less is known about the role of psychological and allergic factors.
mesh_terms: D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology; D004063:Digestion; D005511:Food Handling; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008661:Metabolism, Inborn Errors; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*