ABSTRACT
This integration of nutrition with the endocrine and cytokine responses to stress is an essential component of the complex growth response to stress discussed in the rest of this chapter. In the context of metabolism modifiers influencing nutrient partitioning for protein and lipid accretion, endocrine and immune secretions such as growth hormone and cytokines, respectively, fulfill the traffic directing roles of homeorrhetic and homeostatic effectors. As such, dietary energy source, specifically the fatty acid composition, can affect cytokine production and target tissue response to a disease-stress simulation. Vitamin E likewise has a protective effect on the host when challenged with endotoxin and known vitamin E deficiency is associated with increased cytokine production and attenuated anorexia as induced by infection. This chapter develops the concept of the endocrine-immune gradient, the milieu of hormones and cytokines that function as the "flying ball governor" of cellular metabolism in periods of both health and disease.
