There is no other time in life when the provision of
adequate and balanced nutrition is of greater im-
portance than during infancy and childhood. Dur-
ing this dynamic phase of life characterized by
rapid growth, development and developmental
plasticity, a sufficient amount and appropriate
composition of substrates both in health and dis-
ease are of key importance for growth, functional
outcomes such as cognition and immune response,
and the metabolic programming of long-term
health and well-being. While a number of excellent
textbooks on pediatric nutrition are available that
provide detailed accounts on the scientific and
physiologic basis of nutrition as well as its applica-
tion in clinical practice, busy physicians and other
health care professionals often find it difficult to
devote sufficient time to the elaborate and exten-
sive study of books on just one aspect of their prac-
tice. Therefore, we developed this compact refer-
ence book with the aim to provide concise infor-
mation to readers who seek quick guidance on
practically relevant issues in the nutrition of in-
fants, children and adolescents.
The first edition was a great success, with more
than 50,000 copies sold in English, Chinese, Rus-
sian and Spanish editions. Therefore, we prepared
a thoroughly revised and updated second edition
with a truly international perspective to address
demanding issues in both affluent and economi-
cally challenged populations around the world.
This could only be achieved with the enthusiastic
input of a global editorial board. I wish to thank
my co-editors very much indeed for their dedicat-
ed help and support in developing this project as
well as for the great and very enjoyable collabora-
tion. I am also most grateful to the authors from all
parts of the world, who are widely recognized ex-
perts in their fields, for dedicating their time, ef-
fort, knowledge and experience in preparing their
chapters. It has been a great pleasure to work close-
ly with the team at Karger publishers, including
Stephanie König, Tanja Sebuk, Peter Roth and oth-
ers, who did a fantastic and truly professional job
in producing a book of outstanding quality. Final-
ly, I wish to express my thanks to the Nestlé Nutri-
tion Institute and its representatives Dr. Natalia
Wagemans and Dr. Jose Saavedra for providing fi-
nancial support to the publisher to facilitate the
wide dissemination of this book. I am particularly
grateful to the Nestlé Nutrition Institute as it sup-
ported the editors and authors in making their ful-
ly independent choices with regard to the content
and course of the book and its chapters.
It is the sincere hope of the editors that the sec-
ond edition of this book will again be useful to
many health care professionals around the world,
and that it will contribute to further enhancing the
quality of feeding for healthy infants and children
as well as improving the standards of nutritional
care for sick children. We are keen to obtain feed-
back on this book from you, the readers and users,
including suggestions on which aspects could be
i mproved e ven f u r t her i n f ut u re ed it ions. Ple a se do
not hesitate to contact the publisher or the editors
with your comments and suggestions. Thank you
very much, and enjoy reading the book!
Berthold Koletzko, Dr. Dr. h.c. mult.,
Professor of Pediatrics, Munich