Customer Reviews

Nutritional Biochemistry, Second Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Book conveys broad base of information. Would be perfect study tool for a prelimary examine for Ph.D. program or as a desk reference. In conjunction with Metabolim at a Glance, the information gained is well worth the money.

I love this book! I'm trying to teach myself, and this book manages to make the information so interesting that it's easier to remember. Sometimes I can't wait to get to the next chapter.

I especially like the way the author has managed to present core concepts in a simplified version before expanding on them. It's a lot easier to understand the complexities after you have a vision of the overall concept inscribed in your brain.

I also like the way the author has alternated discussion of the basic facts with discussion of methods and experimental results. It breaks up the monotony of fact after fact. And the exhaustive references appear to be up to date considering the date of publication.

My only criticism is that the book deserved better copy editing and/or proofreading. There are sometimes unnecessary repetitions and typographical errors. However, these small faults don't detract significantly from the overall merit of the book.

The following review, which appeared in the July 2000 issue of Journal of the American Dietetic Association, was written by Prof. Edith Lerner of Case Western Reserve University. Only part of the review is quoted: "The new edition of this textbook . . . includes added discussions of some current topics of interest, such as unsaturated fatty acids (trans versus cis) in the cardiovascular section and neural tube defects in the folate section. The book effectively integrates aspects of metabolism, nutrition, and interorgan physiology for advanced undergraduate students in dietetics, nutrition, or biological sciences. . . the chapters on energy metabolism and requirements are particularly comprehensive and provide key concepts in an integrative manner. . . an additional discussion of methodology appears in the 3-part appendix: animal experiments (eg, pair-feeding), molecular biology techniques (eg, cloning), and epidemiology studies that include a copy of Block's food frequency questionnaire, which has been used to determine human cancer risk. These are helpful discussions to provide background necessary for understanding nutrition research articles. . . many of the chapters include graphs, tables, and diagrams of original research results. . .this book is well-written and provides a good foundation for the advanced undergraduate." (quoted from the July 2000 review by Prof. Edith Lerner)

The following is from a review of the first edition of Nutritional Biochemistry, published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1995). The review was written by Prof.R.Rucker, of U.C.Davis. "There are relatively few nutrition texts that focus on physiological chemistry, metabolism, and biochemistry at the intermediate to advanced levels. This book admirably fills this void . . . Brody has thoughtfully approached the writing of the text so that information is developed clearly yet never oversimplified or rendered superficial . . . an excellent description of the digestion of food components . . . an excellent job is done of noting how basic information is assembled to form more complex concepts . . . there is an excellent section on calculating respiratory quotients. . . . A virtue that is lost in some texts, but not in this one, is that the author does not engage in speculation when there is not sufficient supporting documentation . . . an excellent book." Am. J. Clin. Nutr. (1995) 61, 1175.

While this book on nutritional biochemistry was adequate when it came out in 1999, much has changed in seven years. Without an update of the way daily allowances are now determined, new findings in the area of molecular biology, etc. the potential buyer may be rewarded by waiting for the next edition. It is interesting to note that most of the reviews came from the author.

This is one of the best books I have ever read, for spcialists as well as lay readers. Wish all science books were written so clearly and comprehensively. Look forward very much to the third edition and prepared to reserve and pay for my copy as of now.
Nabil Megalli, Cairo, Egypt

The following is from a review by Prof. W.R.Bidlack, Dean of College of Agriculture at California State Polytechnic University (Journal of the American College of Nutrition (2000) Vol. 19:419-420): 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 appendicies, each contributes to the quality of the work, one valuable for teaching biochemistry, nutrition, medical or health professional students . . . In many cases, the author has included discussion of historically important nutritional deficiencies as well as more contemporary problems that can be controlled wiht appropriate nutritional intervention, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease . . . The layout of the text permits the integration of nutrition into a medical school curriculum. If first establishes biological structure and its relation to genetic expression. Next it presents a very systematic discussion of digestion and absorption . . . The chapter on lipids includes important consideration of phospholipids and sphingosine-based lipids, but emphasizes cholesterol, lipoproteins, and cardiovascular disease . . . Protein . . . 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 simply water soluble and then fat soluble vitamins . . . 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 . . . The book can be recommended as a teaching text. It is pleasurable to read . . . There are stimulating exercises in most chapters and a large number of references . . . (From review by Prof. W.R. Bidlack, Dean, College of Agriculture, Calif. State Polytech. Univ. Pomona)

At time of writing, majority of listed reviews are written by the author himself. I would be really interested in this book should the reviews come from some real name readers.