Because the field of nutrition is actively evolving and creating major new principles in the care of the pediatric patient, we have embarked on the third edition of this textbook. The editors continue to support the premise that a comprehensive text as a reference source in pediatric nutrition is essential for the proper care of infants and children. As medical care in the twenty-first century is predicated on prevention of disease, the discipline of pediatric nutrition becomes that much more important. For example, we now know from the Barker hypothesis that intrauterine nutrition and weight gain during the first year of life are important predictors of.
