Food and the Immune System: Molecular Mechanisms and Nutritional Relevance in Health and Disease

Nutrition is an important environmental factor for the maturation of the human immune system and essential for maintaining immunological homeostasis. Based on this, a variety of food applications with medical claims are being generated by food manufacturers worldwide in order to expand the market potential of products creating interesting linkages with other market segments, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. However, in addition to the health benefits, active principles of such components often remain unexplored.