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Nutritional Strategies for the Diabetic & Prediabetic Patient, edited by Jeffrey I Mechanick and Elise M Brett, is one of several recently published books addressing the subject of diabetes and obesity. The proliferation of books that cover these subjects reflects the current interest by physicians and health care personnel in the pandemic of these diseases. Most nations in Europe, Asia, and South America report a rising prevalence of diabetes, with devastating consequences for the patient and a great burden placed on health care resources. The preface of this book states that it was written primarily to advance physicians' knowledge of nutrition as it relates to diabetes and to enable them to provide evidence-based recommendations to their diabetic patients. However, the book falls short of accomplishing these goals.
The book comprises 368 pages; the 15 chapters and 6 appendixes were written by 22 contributors, 9 of whom are from Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York, NY). The chapters vary in quality and depth; some provide lucid descriptions of the subject, and some are rather superficial in nature. Most authors did not review the topics in the detail needed to provide a reference resource to physicians or they did not provide sufficient practical information to aid those in the daily practice of medicine in the care of their patients; in some cases, neither of those goals was met.
The chapter entitled "Mitochondrial function in diabetes: pathophysiology and nutritional therapeutics," which has 389 references, provides an excellent in-depth review of the subject. The chapter entitled "Nutritional strategies for wound healing in diabetic patients," which has 216 references, is unique and informative, whereas the chapter entitled "Carbohydrate counting" falls short. Indeed, it is very short: 5 pages and 7 references. The appendixes of the book do not add value for the reader.
A great need exists for information about diabetes and for methods that will help prevent or treat diabetes (or both). Nutritional strategies are indeed needed. Approximately 20–21 million Americans—7% of the US population—have the disease. In approximately one-third of diabetic persons, the disease may be underdiagnosed. After a decade of established diabetes, >20% of diabetes patients have had a cardiovascular event, 5% develop blindness, and 1–2% experience end-stage renal disease or lower-extremity amputation. Nearly 95% of diabetes patients have type 2 diabetes, which is closely linked to obesity.
This book lacks an integrative view and does not provide a coherent plan for a nutritional management. Nor does it set forth the strategies that would help deal with the prevention of diabetes or the interventions required to treat obesity and diabetes.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author had no personal or financial conflict with the topic of this book or with its editors.