Psychoactive Substances in Food

Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka

Study: Clinical Nutrition

Professor: Irena Brčić Karačonji

Course summary

The objectives of the course are to familiarise students with the basics of toxicokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of psychoactive substances from the body), mechanisms of action of psychoactive substances, possible adverse effects on human health, physicochemical characteristics and origins of psychoactive substances present in food, basic analytical methods of detecting psychoactive substances in biological samples, psychoactive substance-food and psychoactive substance-drug interactions, and legislation related to the consumption of illegal psychoactive substances that may be present in food.

Recommended reading

  1. Plavšić F, Žuntar I. Introduction to Analytical Toxicology [In Croatian], Školska knjiga, Zagreb, 2006.
  2. Duraković Z et al. Clinical Toxicology [In Croatian], Grafos, Zagreb, 2000.
  3. Timbrell JA. Introduction to Toxicology, Taylor&Frances, 2002.
  4. Petrović M, Katalenić M, Medić Šarić M, Kalođera Z, Žuntar I, Pospišil M, Brčić Karačonji I. Scientific opinion on the impact on health of different types of seeds and food that contains the seeds of industrial hemp [In Croatian], Croatian Food Agency, 2015. (https://www.hah.hr/pregled-upisnika/?preuzmi_misljenje=44)
  5. Lecture presentations

Additional reading

  1. Plavšić F. Are You Afraid of Poison? [In Croatian], Croatian Institute for Toxicology, Zagreb, 2006.
  2. Scientific papers with international review as recommended by the lecturer