Nutrition

New Releases from Cengage

New Releases from Springer

NUTRITION & DIET THERAPY. 12th Edition. Ruth Roth. Kathy Wehrle. Cengage.

Written primarily for the Licensed Practical Nurse and the Licensed Vocational Nurse, this title provides a solid platform on which to build thorough knowledge of the impact of nutrition on the state of the body. Over the past 50 years, researchers have made significant strides in documenting how much the things we eat  affect general health and well being. An easily understood example of this is found in the deleterious affect that soda, sugar and high fructose syrup have on metabolism; as such, diabetes is now a world-wide epidemic. In Nutrition & Diet Therapy, Roth and Wehrle have updated this primary reference to include Healthy People 2020 – the dietary guidelines for Americans 2015-2020. Readers will find the text presented in the classic academic format: Section One offers a general overview of the principles of nutrition; Section Two outlines nutritional needs over the span of the typical lifestyle; and Section Three addresses nutritional therapies and the provider’s role in the process. This revised edition teems with a surfeit of new information, including relevant analysis of diabetes, celiac disease, short bowel syndrome and obesity. The data on obesity should not be ignored by the student-reader, as this (along with with smoking and alcohol abuse) has been isolated by researchers – a profound and insidious factor causing myriad vascular afflictions and cancers. In sum,  Nutrition & Diet Therapy is a gold-star  reference that has kept up with the times. Students will find the narrative readily accessible and instructors will find the text relevant on all fronts. Insofar as nutrition-based resources for the classroom, we have seen none better than what Roth and Wehrle submit.

NUTRITION AND WOUND HEALING. Edited by Joseph A. Molnar. CRC Press.

In Nutrition and Wound Healing, Molnar draws a direct link between nutrition and the body’s ability to stave off illness and heal itself after injury.

During the last 40 years, science had concentrated much of its attention on teaching people that the foods they integrate into their diets have a direct and profound impact on long-term health (since diseases such as arteriosclerosis and diabetes are exacerbated by diets rich in saturated fats and processed sugars).

Simply, in order for the human body to defend itself against injury, it must be provided with a balanced array of nutrients meant to promote healing. In this volume, Molnar has created a text that addresses this premise and then applies it to specific aspects of wound management.

Topics of coverage include carbohydrates in wound healing; the roles of fats and proteins in wound healing; glutamine in the process of wound healing; arginine in wound healing; fat-soluble vitamins and wound healing; the effect of nutrition on the healing of burns; nutrition and wound healing in cancer cases; and the role of hormones in wound management.

Molnar and co-writers have provided a deep and structured analysis of all nutrients and the parts they play in the process of healing wounds to the skin (which serves as the human body’s first line of defense against outsider invaders). In addition to looking at how a deficiency of certain nutrients disrupts the balance of the body, Molnar also explores how excess amounts of certain nutritional elements can be just as deadly.

Furthermore, readers should take careful note of the recommendation section that closes each chapter, a feature that sets forth dosing requirements for patient care. This volume is notable for both the level of its writing and organization and for the way its editor has stitched the voices of leading researchers in to a single reference point that provides the most recent data pertinent to wound care.

In sum, Nutrition and Wound Healing paints a portrait of the effect of nutrients on the myriad stages of wound management. The lesson here is to know that, even though many wounds are able to heal on their own, a small percentage requires swift medical intervention in order to mitigate the possibility of life-threatening infection. To this end, this book gives doctors the information and insight they need in order to help patients reach a point where they can promote the healing of their own bodies through a smart combination of diet and medication.

Recommended as an in-office reference for dermatologists and internists who treat patients with wound-injuries. In addition, this volume would prove invaluable to dieticians and nurse practitioners who engage in frontline patient care. Finally, recommended to all nutritional researchers for its up-to-date analysis of the effects of nutritional compounds on the human body.

Order from booksmd.com.

NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES FOR THE DIABETIC/PRE-DIABETIC PATIENT (Nutrition and Disease Prevention). Edited by Jeffrey I. Mechanick; Elise M. Brett. CRC Press.

During the last 25 years, the incidence of diabetes has sky-rocketed, due in part to a more sedentary lifestyle and our obscene dependence on fast and processed foods. Thus, the medical community has been charged with trying to cope with an ever-worsening problem that is often a precursor to breakdown in other organ systems.

In Nutritional Strategies, editors Mechanick and Brett examine the problem by looking at how both the diabetic and prediabetic individual might increase favorable prognosis and quality of life through proper diet.

In terms of this disease, there is not one ‘tried-and-true’ diet for the diabetic patient to follow. As the editors note, a dietician’s plan often must accommodate for the particular type of diabetes being treated; the patient’s food preferences; the course of treatment being implemented; and the over-all health condition of the patient. Given each of these extreme factors which intersect the diagnosis of diabetes, it has become quite the challenge for any doctor to be able to make useful dietary recommendations.

In this volume, Mechanick and Brett cover in comprehensive terms the impact of food on human health – their goal to counsel the practicing physician (and the dietician) on relevant considerations for constructing a nutritional regime aimed at the diabetic and prediabetic patient:

“With diabetes, a diverse array of hormonal, metabolic and molecular alterations instigates and perpetuates a pathophysiological state that can markedly compromise a patient’s quality of life. In this chapter, a clinical and biochemical framework will be outlined that reveals potential sites for nutritional intervention.”

(Page 16)

This series of essays by world-renowned researchers provides discussion on issues pertinent to a diagnosis of diabetes. After examination of the pathophysiology and clinical management of diabetes, the authors move into analysis of ways doctors might best use diet to either prevent the onset of the disease or to lessen its severity.

From here, readers will be presented with data on the impact of nutrition on Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus; the effect of carbohydrate-consumption on diabetes patients; insulin therapy; nutrition and hyperglycemia; and a wonderfully insightful chapter on nutrition and wound healing in the diabetic patient. In addition, there is also a cogent chapter on effective treatment of the pregnant diabetic patient. The editors have also provided well-defined graphics and charts which serve to augment the text and retest key-points.

In sum, Nutritional Strategies offers authoritative analysis on how nutritional regimes can be used by health care providers in conjunction with medicine-based therapies as a viable means to control diabetes. Aside from the sharp editing and clearly-defined points of concentration, the text is further noted for its presentation of the most up-to-date thinking on the subject – an invaluable reference-resource for multiple segments of the world’s healthcare community.

Recommended to all internists and to all primary care physicians as an in-office resource. Also recommended to nurse practitionersand dieticians who take an active role in treatment of diabetic patients. Finally, recommended to all Health Science libraries as a general reference text.

Order from booksmd.com.

Of Further Interest

FOOD, DIET AND OBESITY. Edited by David J. Mela. CRC Press.

In terms of risk factors for diabetes, none is greater than obesity, which puts undue stress on multiple organ systems while altering the normal metabolic processes of the body. In this text, Mela looks to draw a definable link between diet and an increase in body weight. Mela chooses an interesting route to develop his treatise, first examining the global trends of obesity in order to create a foundation from which he is able to analyze just what risk factors might predispose the individual to obesity. In addition, subjects such as the impact of fats, proteins and carbohydrates on weight are dissected in comprehensive tones as medicine looks to increase the general health of the populous through a layered understanding of how to implement diet plans – the idea is to use nutrition as the first line of defense in controlling obesity (thus mitigating the onset of related problems like heart disease, stroke and diabetes).

Recommended to all instructors who teach courses that examine the role of diet in patient health; and the role obesity plays in the breakdown of human health. Would further prove useful to dieticians charged with the creation of eating plans for patients with myriad health issues. Finally, recommended to all Health Science libraries as a general reference text.

Order from booksmd.com.

by John Aiello

Spotlighting Author Melinda Sothern

Melinda Sothern is one of the country’s leading experts in the study of pediatric obesity – an author and academician who has actually ‘put her money where her mouth is’ and dedicated her energies toward deciphering the reasons why so much of our youth is over-weight, in turn examining how parents, researchers and clinicians might come together to realize an answer to a problem that carries with it the very real potential to cripple the U.S. healthcare system. Sothern, herself, is a direct and erudite woman who mixes an impressive academic resume (multiple degrees from the University of New Orleans in exercise physiology) with a wealth of practical experience (she is currently a Professor in the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans) as she continues on her mission to educate the international medical community on the things it needs to do in order to guide children toward healthier futures. In the past, Sothern’s work has appeared in multiple forums on national television and radio as well as in the print media, including features on Good Morning America; The Today Show; Fox News TV; 48 Hours; Nickelodeon TV; The Oprah Show; CBS The Early Show; Inside Edition; The Dr. Phil Show; Discovery Channel; CNN International; USA Today; Associated Press – World News; The Washington Post; Wall Street Journal, National Geographic; Parents Magazine; Parenting, Better Homes and Garden; Ladies Home Journal; McCall’s Magazine; Prevention Magazine; Teen Vogue; Delicious Living; and Very Best Kids, among others.

From your perspective as an author and researcher, how severe is the problem of pediatric obesity in the United States? And where do you see the problem going in the next decade?

This is the most serious nutritional problem confronting American children today. And I see it getting much worse, because we haven’t adequately addressed the issue. And if we don’t come to address the problem soon, it will gradually break the healthcare system in this country. Doctors are now seeing children coming in their offices with weight issues at younger ages, and these children are typically resistant to treatment. And even when armed with an arsenal of the best treatment options, it’s extremely difficult for a clinician to deal with the external factors that created the problem. I think that given our current methods of management, we are just not going to be able to cure this generation; it’s simply not going to happen. These over-weight children are going to become adults with severe health problems, plagued by conditions like high blood pressure and type-two diabetes. This is the hard-core truth, and clinically, we are seeing it more and more.

Given this bleak picture, what can doctors do to better address the problem?

There is a real need for physicians to closely monitor children if they have two or more risk factors for obesity. The primary risk factor for children under twelve years of age is having over-weight parents. Statistics show that if a child has one over-weight parent they are 40% more likely to become obese; having two over-weight parents increases this figure to 80% [which then increases the risk of weight-related diseases like diabetes]. Consequently, this is one of the first things doctors should evaluate. In children under five years of age, the primary risk factor for obesity is in the mother’s weight before pregnancy: If the mother is over-weight at this juncture, the child is prone to obesity and diabetes. In addition, research shows that it is advisable for infants to be breast-fed. Infants who are breast fed tend to enjoy a better weight condition. Doctors should also look to the child’s level of physical condition: Children with low levels of physical activity are at very high risk for obesity and diabetes.

The flipside to this question is in noting what parents can do to mitigate these risks to their children. Can you make mention of some things that parents should generally do to create a healthy balance within the home?

Yes, this is the key to helping children control their weight.At this particular time in history, parents need to assume that the world is out to make their children obese and they should declare war on the phenomenon. The truth is that making children fat has made the television industry and the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry a lot of money. TV marketing is geared to push children toward a culture and lifestyle where they sit and eat. This has become the social norm. It has become socially acceptable for kids to sit in front of the TV or video machine for 6 hours, with free access to the refrigerator, with free reign to sit and graze. It’s all meant to promote childhood obesity. To combat this, parents might create an area in the house for the kinds of games that will make kids move – things like jumping rope and twirling a baton come immediately to mind. Parents should encourage kids to move, perhaps turn on the stereo and teach them to dance, teach them to enjoy being active. To this end, they shouldn’t put TVs in kids’ bedrooms and shouldn’t buy them hand-held video games. Also, food should be the parents’ domain – parents must control access to the refrigerator and regulate the things that kids are eating.

What are the warning signs that might alert parents to the fact that their children are in peril?

Generally speaking, if a child appears tired all the time and is not interested in doing any kind of activity where they need to move and sweat, that is a primary sign that something is wrong. And this rule applies to every age group. Kids should naturally feel the need to move their bodies in some way. And when they don’t, this is a sign that something is amiss somewhere. In addition, if a child never seems to be filled up, even after a big meal, this is not normal. And if children appear depressed and don’t want to go to school, this can be a signal that they are getting bullied or being teased because of weight issues. Basically, parents should not focus on what their kids look like, but instead should assess their behavior and take time to watch them. If you note any strange behavior, by all means, go see your healthcare provider for an opinion.

Do you think that educators and the school system in general can play a role in helping to control the problem of pediatric obesity?

A child basically spends 50% of their waking hours in school or doing school-related projects, so I think that given this breakdown it’s reasonable to involve school systems in helping to address the problem. I think that every school should be challenged to promote both a sound nutritional program and a program of physical activity. Educators should insist that children engage in daily physical education. Not only will this help in the short term, it will also set the tone for the rest of their lives and promote life-long healthy habits. This simply must be done – and ignoring it will only harm the child’s physiology. A child must challenge their muscles daily for normal development to take place. Beyond this, schools need to remove all junk food from the premises. It has no place there. Also, the school day should be structured to give children regular physical activity breaks. It’s just not natural to require kids to sit at desks for 4 and 5 hours at a time…

by John Aiello

THE LIPID HANDBOOK. Third edition. Editors: Frank D. Gunstone. John L. Harwood. Albert J. Dijkstra. CRC Press.

Basically, this ‘handbook’ serves as the encyclopedic reference of the study of lipids – a layered and in depth examination of both lipid science and related technologies. During the last two decades, there have been myriad changes in lipid science which have furthered research into the subject and altered the way cardiologists and internists approach the treatment of their patients.

However, the medicinal effects of lipids are but only one facet of this classic reference. In addition to the dietary and medicinal elements of lipids, other areas of discussion include the structure of the fatty acid and lipid; information on how oils and fats are characterized; a review of oils that originate from plant sources; review of milk fats, animal depot fats, fish oils, egg lipids and milk lipids; review of liver and other tissue lipids; review of the production and refining of oils and fats; analysis of the bleaching of oils and fats; modification processes related to the food uses of oils and fats; non-food uses for lipids (including biofuels); an overview of lipid behavior; in addition to a standout section on lipid metabolism (which segues into the nutritional and medicinal aspects of lipids (including discussion of the impact of lipids on the health of the heart).

The Lipid Handbook is noteworthy for its breadth and for the way the editors encapsulate the complete study of this subject into a single volume. Readers will note that, rather than restrict the analysis of lipids to the somewhat narrow medicinal and cardiovascular arenas (which is what the public hears about regularly), the editors instead have deconstructed the fatty acid from its molecular state and then rebuilt it layer by layer as a means to demonstrate just how many facets of life lipid science intersects.

Moreover, the information on the technologies now being employed to refine and process fats and oils is invaluable, as these industrial ‘leaps’ are likely to have profound impact on other areas of scientific research in the coming years.

Recommended as in-office reference for lipid researchers in both industrial and science-based realms. Further recommended to Health Science libraries as the authoritative voice in this fascinating area.

by John Aiello

Of Further Interest

FOOD, DIET AND OBESITY. Edited by David J. Mela. CRC Press.

In terms of risk factors for diabetes, none is greater than obesity, which puts undue stress on multiple organ systems while altering the normal metabolic processes of the body. In this text, Mela looks to draw a definable link between diet and an increase in body weight. Mela chooses an interesting route to develop his treatise, first examining the global trends of obesity in order to create a foundation from which he is able to analyze just what risk factors might predispose the individual to obesity. In addition, subjects such as the impact of fats, proteins and carbohydrates on weight are dissected in comprehensive tones as medicine looks to increase the general health of the populous through a layered understanding of how to implement diet plans – the idea is to use nutrition as the first line of defense in controlling obesity (thus mitigating the onset of related problems like heart disease, stroke and diabetes).

Recommended to all instructors who teach courses that examine 1) the role of diet in patient health; and 2) the role obesity plays in the breakdown of human health. Would further prove useful to dieticians charged with the creation of eating plans for patients with myriad health issues. Finally, recommended to all Health Science libraries as a general reference text.

by John Aiello

SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL, BARIATRIC, AND SPORTS NUTRITION. Ingrid Kohlstadt. CRC/Taylor and Francis/Informa.

New perspectives on nutrition are becoming the cornerstone of the medical frontier, as physicians and laboratory researchers look to connect the things that people eat with the overall health of the body.

In this text, Kohlstadt has created a reference that sets out to outline how medicine might integrate nutrition into its standard practice in order to treat the systems of the body. The basic premise of this book is formulated by showing medical specialists that the things their patients are consuming as fuel must work to serve the long-term health of the body.

Scientific Evidence is comprehensive in tone and covers many topics of relevance. Chapters on key nutrients include data on fats, carbohydrates, proteins and antioxidants, in addition to a wonderful section on water and its role in the balance of the musculoskeletal system.

The information on Bariatric Surgery is especially illuminating, as the author shows her readers that surgical intervention to reduce obesity is more effective and better tolerated when used in combination with a nutritionally balanced diet. This is an extremely important piece of data in that it is meant to show surgeons and internists who are performing Bariatric surgeries that they need to stress to their patients that this isn’t a perfect fix, but instead, a treatment option requiring patients to eat well in order to increase the potential rewards of the procedure.

The author has also included information on conditions such as fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis and ways that nutrition can facilitate effective management of these problematic diseases that cause untold hours of suffering for millions across the face of the world.

Readers will immediately note that Dr. Kohlstadt (Johns Hopkins University) is an outstanding scientific writer, her prose and perspective clear-minded, her ideas deep and well-developed, as she seeks to reduce these sometimes complicated chains of data into digestible chapters with universal meaning to the medical community at large.

This text is recommended to all instructors in courses which focus on marrying aspects of nutrition with healthcare. The text is also of practical value to primary care physicians and internists (in addition to Gastroenterologists) who will be able to apply Kohlstadt’s perspective to day-to-day patient care.

Order from booksmd.com.

by John Aiello

PEDIATRIC HYPERTENSION. Second Edition. Joseph T. Flynn. Julie R. Ingelfinger. Ronald J. Portman, Editors. Humana Press/Springer.

Split into 4 sections, this treatise (in its second edition) examines the full scope of pediatric hypertension, with erudite discussion of blood pressure regulation and the pathophyisiology of hypertension; information on how to assess the risk factors that influence hypertensive disease; and guidelines on how to evaluate and manage the pediatric hypertensive patient. In sum, Pediatric Hypertension serves as both a detailed and practical resource which will allow the clinician to adequately address the needs of the adolescent patient who presents with this very adult disease. Readers will immediately benefit from the authors’ clear-honed writing style which blends the most recent research data on the subject with the therapeutic guidelines from the US National High Blood Pressure Education Program.

The bible on hypertensive disease and the pediatric patient.

by John Aiello

ATLAS OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. 5th Edition. Scott M. Grundy, Editor. Springer.

For decades, the medical world has been at war with the phenomenon in which artery walls thicken as a result of a build-up of excess fatty deposits (like cholesterol) – with an array of medications and surgical techniques used to combat the leading cause of heart attack. In the new edition of this hallmark text, Professor Scott Grundy (University of Texas) provides a detailed examination of the Metabolic Syndrome’s effect on artery disease. Additional topics of coverage include high-density lipoprotein metabolism; newly identified coronary risk factors; how to effectively manage obesity; and and ethnic differences in the Metabolic Syndrome. Detailed legends, extensive reference listings and countless illustrations augment the text, creating a literal ‘classroom on paper.’

FOOD PROCESSING OPERATIONS MODELING. Design and Analysis. Second Edition. Editors: Soojin Jun; Joseph M. Irudayaraj. CRC Press.

This text, now in its second edition, provides a comprehensive exploration into how numerical modeling can be used to enhance techniques of  food processing to increase both consumer safety and manufacturing efficiency. In essence, this highly refined testing method serves to help eradicate health risks associated with under-processed foods (while mitigating the loss of nutrients that occurs when food is over-cooked). Given the recent Salmonella outbreaks that have hit the peanut and spice industries during the last 90 days, it is clear that food manufacturers need to update their systems to better protect consumers from infection. Accordingly, Food Processing Operations Modeling provides the starting point.

Target: This title would be appropriate as a primary text in all food science and food technology programs and should be required reading in all classrooms teaching the fine points of food technology to the next generation of manufacturers and researchers.

by John Aiello

PERSONALIZED NUTRITION. Principles and Applications. Editors: Frans Kok; Laura Bouwman; Frank Desiere. CRC Press.

As science progresses into the 21^st century, it is widely accepted that good health is premised on sound principles of nutrition. Basically, the things that we put into our bodies determine how well we will be able to fend off disease (including cancer, hardening of the arteries and diabetes).

In this text, the topic of nutrition is dissected and analyzed as scientists seek to examine whether nutritional goals can be honed to fit the individual or genetic profile. In Personalized Nutrition, the leading voices in the field are stitched together to create a one-of-a-kind textbook with a one-of-a-kind vision.

Section One speaks to the scientific principles of nutrition, with discussion of metabolomics and the personalized metabolic ‘signature;’ nutrition-genomics as related to cardiovascular risk; the personalized prevention of diabetes; and how a personalized nutritional regimen might be used to prevent the onset of various cancers.

Section Two of the text address personalized nutrition and the ‘stakeholders’ of society, examining such topics as American attitudes toward nutritional concepts and the ethics of personalized nutrition, while Section Three looks to the future of nutrition (including ways that food production will influence the future of personalized nutrition).

What is best about this book is intertwined in its bold perspective, as the authors tackle some relatively new and controversial subjects in straight-forward style, carefully cutting to the core of the question of whether or not a diet plan can – and should – be tailored to the individual consumer.

The foundations of this discussion benefit from the fact that Kok and his co-writers present opinions from varying platforms (healthcare providers, consumers) in order to draw informed conclusions.

In the halls of science, the debate still rages: Can nutritional plans truly be ‘personalized’ to maximize individual health? Personalized Nutrition examines all sides of the question and provides some promising data that says the onset of serious disease can be forestalled by modifying diet to fit the requirements of the individual.

Order from CRC Press.

Of Related Interest

AMINO ACIDS AND PROTEINS FOR THE ATHLETE. The Anabolic Edge. Mauro G. Di Pasquale. CRC Press. 

Now in its second edition, this text is remarkably relevant as the use of illicit supplements in various high-dollar sports is examined in the halls of Congress. Here, Di Pasquale does an exemplary job exploring the roles of amino acids and proteins in the metabolism of the athlete (“revealing the effects of specific amino acid supplements on metabolic and physiological responses to exercise”). Noted for the way the author carefully assesses both the physiological and pharmacological effects of protein and amino acids on body mass and stamina (while presenting the most up-to-date analysis in this area of sports-related nutrition).

Order from CRC Press.

by John Aiello

SPIRULINA IN HUMAN NUTRITION AND HEALTH. M.E. Editors: Gershwin and Amha Belay. CRC Press. 

Here, the authors provide an in depth dissection of Spirulina (a common food supplement for humans and animals produced from blue-green-algae), dissecting its role in human nutritional balance. No longer categorized as radical or maverick, supplementation of diet with Spirulina promotes a stronger, more-vital immune system better able to withstand attack. Here, the authors provide a full overview of Spirulina, offering information on how it is cultivated and stored in addition to summarizing how its properties serve to augment the body-systems and strengthen their underpinnings. Impeccably researched and written with a true eye for detail, this text will no doubt be regarded as the ‘voice in the field’ and the ultimate go-to reference for researcher, librarian and instructor alike.

Order from CRC Press.

by John Aiello

SPORTS NUTRITION. Energy Metabolism and Exercise. Edited by Ira Wolinsky. Judy A. Driskell. CRC PRESS.

Partaking in strenuous exercise taxes the body and its many organ systems, tapping into stored energy reserves. Accordingly, the things that one eats in the days and months and hours before exercising are of paramount importance, since these food-stuffs provide the ‘resources’ from which the body will manufacture its tank of ‘fuel.’

In Sports Nutrition, Ira Wolinsky (Professor Emeritus, University of Houston) and Judy Driskell (University of Nebraska) have created a comprehensive reference on energy metabolism and its impact on exercise.

Basically, the way the body breaks down food and synthesizes its components into different molecules is what allows us to stay active. However, for athletes and those involved in more strenuous exercise regimens, this phenomenon is that much more important, since the draw on the body of an athlete tends to be more prolonged and more intense.

In Sports Nutrition, the authors present an in depth exploration of a very complex subject; topics of coverage include: The general principles of bioenergetics; energy supply and demand; ways to match supply to demand; factors impacting energy utilization; the influence of diet on energy; energy intake; the influence of exercise on diet; different energy needs (such as carbohydrate and protein needs).

In addition to illuminating readers on the ways that food influences energy and the ways that exercise impacts dietary requirements, this volume contains a plethora of new and cutting edge information.

For example, the authors report on evidence that supports the hypothesis that the intake of lean animal protein actual raises HDL or ‘good cholesterol’ levels while effectively lowering blood pressure. This data is extremely important in that it serves to support the theory that well-balanced eating habits that draw from each of the food-groups are far more beneficial than crash diets that only shock the body’s over-all metabolic balance.

Going further, the authors include facts that document just how much protein the body actually requires (research that helps individuals maximize energy while mitigating cholesterol consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease).

In sum, Sports Nutrition is a well-paced and well-written scientific study detailing the affect nutrition has on energy-metabolism – this treatise that not only serves the dedicated athlete but also works to assist those weekend runners hoping to maximize their experience.

Recommended to all sports nutritionists at both the college and professional levels, noted for its clear presentation of a complex and layered subject. Additionally, all college-level libraries should consider including this title in their stacks because of  its long-term reference value that crosses myriad topic-lines.

Order from CRC Press.

by John Aiello

Of Related Interest

OPTIMIZING WOMEN’S HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION. Edited by Lilian U. Thompson. Wendy E. Ward. CRC Press.

There is no denying this fact – men and women are different on many levels (including in the things required by each sex to keep a strong nutritional balance). Specifically, the foods we eat directly influence over-all health and affect susceptibility to diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Additionally, researchers are now noting that that a sex-based approach to diet is vital to meeting the competing nutritional needs of men and women. In Optimizing Women’s health Through Nutrition, the authors take a long and piercing look at the things women should do to stabilize their health through diet. After reviewing the biological and physiological differences between men and women and the current disease trends between the sexes, Thompson and Ward present a comprehensive analysis of the nutritional requirements of women (in addition to discussion of the primary diseases that affect women and the steps they should take to protect their long-term health).

Highly recommended as a supporting course text in all advanced college-level nutrition courses, notable for distinguishing the difference between the metabolic needs of men and women (as it guides women to more well-reasoned eating habits).

Order from CRC Press.

by John Aiello

Related Titles

HANDBOOK OF PEDIATRIC OBESITY. Clinical Management. Edited by Melinda S. Sothern; Stewart T. Gordon; T. Kristian von Almen. CRC Press.

This handbook focuses its attention on the most disturbing component of the obesity issue – the overweight child. Insofar as obesity is concerned, children in alarming numbers are gaining too much weight, stuffing themselves with an array of junk foods while concurrently shunning exercise for extra hours in front of the computer screen. This text examines the subject of pediatric obesity in complete terms (medical, psychological, nutritional) in order to show the healthcare provider that child-patients are much different than adults and must be treated with a tempered hand. Basically, children who are battling weight issues are likely going through a series of psychological dilemmas in addition to numerous hormonal and social challenges. Accordingly, physicians need to approach treatment plans for children by specifically merging aspects of diet, counseling, pharmacology and exercise regimens; the goal is to teach children to become conscious of the things they are eating and the affects food has on ambition, health, energy-levels and appearance. To reiterate, this is quite a sensitive and complicated area which requires a careful approach by the healthcare community. Handbook of Pediatric Obesity is a clearly written textbook which presents a wealth of clinical data on all aspects of childhood obesity, with well-shaped chapters on the psychosocial and behavioral factors of obesity serving to demonstrate that each child-patient requires an individualized care-plan and extra patience.

Recommended to all clinicians who treat the pediatric patient and counsel parents on how to care for an obese child. Also recommended to Health Science libraries as a well-rounded reference that covers both medical and psychological elements of obesity.

Order from CRC Press.

by John Aiello

CRASH COURSE: METABOLISM AND NUTRITION – With STUDENT CONSULT (Online Access). Albert Clark. Mosby.

Mosby’s Crash Course series provides a unique and effective way for a student to learn the core of a subject and retain its fine points – clearly written texts that test for comprehension immediately upon the presentation of the material. Here, Clark (Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario) offers a review of the scientific basis of metabolism and nutrition, with discussion of carbohydrate and energy metabolism; lipid metabolism and transport; the metabolism of proteins, purines, pyrimidines and heme; glucose homeostasis; and exploration of the principles of proper nutrition. In addition, Clark includes well-rounded chapters on ways physicians in the clinical setting assess metabolic disease. Given the reality of how much information is flying at medical students and residents at one time, this Crash Course series provides a tidy compendium of lectures that encourages young doctors to revisit vital information – these books cutting to the core of myriad subjects in sharp and shapely narrative style. Imagine a classroom where the instructor stands before you and just gives you the factual information that you have to have in order to facilitate understanding of the subject. Now hold that picture in your mind. In effect, you have just opened an installment of the Crash Course series. Here, the specific focus is on nutrition and the way that the metabolic processes of the human body synthesize food into energy.Readers will be able to use this text (priced at an affordable $30) as a secondary manual to many courses that intersect these topics.

Recommended to medical and pre-med students as an invaluable self-study tool that will aid in exam preparation.

QUICK LOOK NUTRITION. Second Edition. Marian L. Farrell. Jo Ann L. Nicoteri. Jones and Bartlett.

This smartly organized text offers a deep and insightful examination of pertinent aspects of clinical nutrition. Presently, myriad studies stress the importance of diet on the health and longevity of the human body. Conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stoke are directly related to the things we eat and drink. Consequently, at no other time has the role of the nurse in helping patients to control their weight been as vital. In this text, Farrell and Nicoteri provide a fine summary of nutritional considerations based on age and life stage, their treatise covering dietary requirements for infants, preschoolers, school-age children, adolescents, young adults, mid-life adults and the elderly. Throughout Nutrition, the authors stress the importance of realizing that sound health emanates from adhering to a balanced diet, one in which individuals eat from each of the basic food groups, controlling saturated fat, cholesterol and processed sugar intake while concurrently getting regular exercise. The role of the nurse in the process is to teach patients that trimming weight will better equip them to sustain the rigors of aging, as people who stave off obesity are much more likely to avoid heart disease and adult-onset diabetes. Simply, as the authors demonstrate, the key to the process is in education and in the free exchange of factually sound information.

Accordingly, young nurses seeking to learn the intricacies of nutrition won’t find a better resource than this text: Its crisp presentation and sharp writing make it appropriate for classroom use in courses that train both nurses and hospital dieticians on how to develop meal plans for patients.

by John Aiello

NUTRITION AND DIET THERAPY. 9th Edition. Ruth A. Roth. Thomson-Delmar Learning.

There is probably no quicker course to insuring long-term health than by modifying one’s diet to include a balanced sampling of the basic food groups (while concurrently restricting large amounts of saturated fats). In this text, Roth presents an outstanding primer meant to teach nurses how to share dietary concepts with patients – the key lesson of the text to demonstrate that diet therapy must become a lifestyle choice that one commits to completely. Roth’s text is broken into three primary sections. Section One is devoted to the fundamentals of nutrition (including the relationship between health and nutrition and how to plan a healthy diet). Section Two focuses on how to maintain long-term health through good nutrition (including controlling food-related allergies/illness; diet during pregnancy; and the importance of diet during the different stages of the aging process). Finally, Section Three serves as an excellent summary of medical nutrition therapy (with pertinent analysis of the impact food has on cardiovascular disease; renal disease; and diabetes). The 9^th edition is notable for its inclusion of information on the growing problem of obesity in America and for its discussion of the importance of teaching young children that the things they eat and drink will have long-term impact on their health as adults. Roth is truly a gifted writer who has much experience in the field and knows how to address the student audience in a cogent manner. Specifically, Roth has the ability to structure chapters so that information builds in a coherent and logical way, in turn promoting long-term retention by the reader. Simply, this book deserves to be used in nursing programs throughout the country, its message clear and universal in scope. And the message: That the things patients are putting in their bodies have the very real power to accelerate the aging process and destroy organ systems (instigating the disease process). Consequently, it’s up to health care providers (and especially nurses who serve as the primary contact-points for patients) to be able to effectively teach the public the intricacies of proper diet management.

As noted, recommended as a primary teaching text for courses in programs that are centered on teaching diet therapy to aspiring nurses.

Order from Thomson-Delmar Learning.

by John Aiello

HANDBOOK OF OBESITY. George A. Bray. Claude Bouchard. Marcel Dekker.

Today, more than ever, people are obsessed with their weight and how they look. The topic is foremost in everybody’s mind, and there has even been litigation in recent years over weight discrimination related to the work place.

We are simply an obsessed culture – obsessed with being fat, yet still unable to control our eating patterns.

Handbook Of Obesity by George Bray and Claude Bouchard compiles the latest information on the subject of treating obesity and lowering patient risk factors created by being over weight. The text focuses on new ways that doctors are able to treat this ever-growing problem (including drug therapies and exercise regimens designed to prevent obesity):

“Behavioral strategies help to reinforce changes in diet and physical activity. Without new habits, long term weight reduction is unlikely to succeed. Most people unfortunately return to baseline weight without continued behavior modification. Learning how to include behavior modification in weight reduction therapy is essential. Behavior therapy is designed to permanently alter eating and activity habits.”

(Page 127)

This study peers at the problem of obesity from myriad perspectives, examining the latest research in the field so that physicians can better manage the obese patient. However, the issue of weight gain is not a simple, cut-and-dried problem. As the authors note, there are many social stigmas which accompany the condition, and these have to be carefully assessed in conjunction with the way the doctor addresses treatment. Bray and Bouchard are careful not to flee from these issues, instead discussing themin relation to their medical analysis.

All facets of the condition of obesity are investigated, including patient evaluation, prevention, and treatment options. To reiterate, the authors do a nice job in dissecting the fact that this problem is both a medical and social one that requires careful consideration on the part of the health care professionalbefore treatment ensues.

Recommended for all primary care physicians as an in-office reference, providing deep insights into how doctors might deal with over-weight patients. Should also be considered as a possible teaching text for dietitians and medical students studying diabetes and in courses that deal with obesity treatment and prevention.

Order from booksmd.com.