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Nutritional Biochemistry, 2nd ed. Tom Brody. San Diego, 1999.

Dean, College of Agriculture; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

This well-written text integrates the relationships between nutrients from food and the chemistry of living organisms. The sequential presentation, the figures and tables, the case studies, the appendices, each contributes to the quality of the work, one valuable for teaching biochemistry, nutrition, medical or health professional students.

The goal of the science of nutrition is to improve human health, its challenge to understand and integrate knowledge from several disciplines—biochemistry, physiology, food chemistry, toxicology, epidemiology, medicine and public health. The author emphasizes the discussion of methods used in assessment of nutrient requirements and deficiencies, the employment of primary data to stimulate individual interpretation and judgment and the organization of data to establish priorities for further review. The book emphasizes several aspects of problems related to each topic area. Clinical and research data illustrate these problems, and case studies demonstrate application to real life situations. In many cases, the author has included discussion of historically important nutritional deficiencies as well as more contemporary problems that can be controlled with appropriate nutritional intervention, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The layout of the text permits the integration of nutrition into a medical school curriculum. It first establishes biological structure and its relation to genetic expression. Next it presents a very systematic discussion of digestion and absorption, with specific inclusion of nutrients that resist or escape digestion. The regulation of metabolism begins with the brain, then includes muscle and exercise, the liver and discussion of the effects of starvation and alcohol. Individual macronutrient metabolism is included within relevant chapter sections dealing with energy metabolism, carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, proteins, amino acid catabolism and nonessential amino acid biosynthesis. Treatment of energy metabolism leads to the presentation of electron transport, ATP balance, the basis of respiratory quotient, metabolic rate and a discussion of the use of doubly labeled water for determining energy expenditure.

The chapter on lipids includes important consideration of phospholipids and sphingosine-based lipids, but emphasizes cholesterol, lipoproteins and cardiovascular disease. Studies on the behavior of lipoproteins and the effect of diet and drugs on atherosclerosis are dealt with. The presentation on obesity includes techniques used to measure fat, identification of genetic factors affecting disposition of fat stores and signaling pathways regulating adipocyte formation.

Protein, including protein quality, regulation of protein and amino acid catabolism and clinical issues related to protein nutrition, is covered in greater detail than by most texts, clearly in an effort to provide good understanding of the concepts, basic and applied.

Both the vitamins and minerals are presented in standard formats. However, the vitamins are presented in terms of their role in metabolism, rather than as simply water soluble and then fat soluble vitamins. This section emphasizes interactions and effects on the genome as well. The inorganic nutrients section includes water, macrominerals and microminerals. The presentation here emphasizes biological fluids, bone stores, iron stores and others, and the regulation of inorganic nutrients involved in their maintenance and utilization.

The concluding chapter on diet and cancer describes large bowel cancer, genetic changes, RAS and MAP kinase signaling pathways and mutations in the RAS gene. The relationship between diet and colon cancer is reviewed from epidemiological evidence. Throughout the book, the author underscores the importance of nutrient interactions—some positive, some synergistic and some antagonistic. In addition, major emphasis is placed on interorgan relationships and physiological interactions. Three Appendices are included at the end, emphasizing nutritional methodology, molecular cloning techniques and methods in epidemiology. These appendices provide substantial reference materials.

This book can be recommended as a teaching text. It is pleasurable to read and contains substantial education material beyond the basic information expected in a nutrition or biochemistry book. There are stimulating exercises in most chapters and a large number of references, which should encourage students to read the original material.

Received December 1, 1999.

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