Biochemical and Physiological Aspects of Human Nutrition,

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, E-mail:bbistria{at}caregroup.Harvard.edu

edited by Martha H Stipanuk, 1999, 1007 pages, hardcover, $75.00. WB Saunders Company, a division of Harcourt Brace and Company, Philadelphia.

This is a superb textbook of nutrition, with each chapter written by a generally acknowledged expert in specific aspects of nutritional sciences and the whole brilliantly edited by Martha Stipanuk. The book is written at the level of graduate students and professionals who have strong backgrounds in organic chemistry, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology, but the primary focus is on human nutrition. The coverage of nutrition is traditional and comprehensive, with certain areas covered in greater detail. The energy-yielding nutrients, for instance, are considered in terms of their structure, properties, and metabolism (synthesis and oxidation, digestion, and absorption), and there is integrated coverage of fuel utilization in health, exercise, and pathologic conditions such as obesity and inflammatory disease. As an added bonus, there are chapters on bodily fluids and water balance, nutrition, lipids, cardiovascular disease, detoxification, and protective functions of nutrients that provide unique perspectives on these broad topics. Again, these chapters integrate knowledge from many individual nutrients and physiologic processes. The format includes numerous helpful inserts labeled as "Clinical Correlations" and "Nutrition Insights," which detail in a somewhat anecdotal fashion interesting nutritional connections that make the book a true joy to read. The many tables and figures are particularly helpful and graphically excellent; they serve to clarify and complement the text. Although there are many authors, there is little overlap, and in the few instances in which a topic is considered twice, the result is a greater understanding rather than mere repetition. This outcome is a tribute to the integrative skill of the editor.

In summary, I consider this book to be the new standard as the textbook for students in human nutrition as well as the reference book of choice for professionals in nutritional and biologic sciences and clinical medicine. Stipanuk is to be congratulated for her superb contribution to the field of nutritional sciences.