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University of Vermont College of Medicine, 89 Beaumont Avenue, Given Building Room C-207, Burlington, VT 05405, E-mail: naomi.fukagawa{at}uvm.edu
The editors note that the purpose of this book is to give readers a glimpse into the manufacturing processes of the various stable-isotope tracers and a basic understanding of the principles, study designs, sample requirements, sample preparation techniques, instrumentation requirements, and methods of calculation for several applications of stable-isotope tracers in nutrition-related research. The book is aimed both at new users, with the hope of stimulating their interest in the application of stable-isotope tracers in nutrition research, and at more experienced users in search of a basic reference guide. Overall, this book achieves its goal.
The book consists of 9 chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the text. Chapter 2 focuses on the production of stable isotopes for nutrition-related research. This short chapter briefly defines a stable isotope and describes the approaches used to produce the isotope of interest and labeled compounds. It falls short in describing the nuances of isomers of the compounds and the potential problems this may generate in the use of the tracers in in vivo studies.
Chapter 3 describes the use of labeled compounds to assess in vivo protein kinetics. A concise history of the use of stable-isotope tracers in studies of protein metabolism is provided. Sufficient detail is provided as a guide for the user, including assumptions and accepted models. One area not addressed is the potential weaknesses of the models presently used. Nevertheless, as an introductory guide, this chapter meets the needs of most investigators.
Chapters 4 and 5 address studies of mineral metabolism and the evaluation of trace mineral status and bioavailability, respectively. These chapters provide more detail than do earlier chapters and they represent one of the few pieces of work that address these applications. Therefore, they provide valuable information to the readers that is not readily found in the literature.
Chapters 6 and 7 describe more recognized areas of the use of stable isotopes in nutrition research: estimates of energy utilization and body composition. They provide a concise and readily understandable description of these applications. Despite the numerous articles in the literature that use these approaches, few describe the methods as clearly as do these chapters. Hence, they represent a useful and comprehensive guide for investigators in nutrition and will be an important tool for educators in the field.
Chapter 8 permits the reader to glimpse in more detail the approaches used in sample and data analysis, with the use of glucose metabolism in children as the model. It is packed with detailed information and is an excellent resource for teaching and learning the intricacies of carbohydrate metabolism. The underlying assumptions are clearly outlined, and the comparisons of the 3 methods available to assess glucose metabolism are unbiased and thus are a valuable educational tool.
The final chapter focuses on the metabolism of cholesterol and other lipids. The author summarized a large and complex issue into an understandable introduction for the new user. The more experienced user may desire more details about application, basic assumptions, analysis, and calculations. Nevertheless, as with the other chapters, this chapter provides useful information in an understandable format.