EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS IN REVIEW Edited by S.E. Collins, Reviews Editor

Books, curricula, audiovisuals and other re­sources that nutrition professionals may use for ref­erence, continuing education or in a formal or in­fonna! education setting are designated "professional." Books, handouts, diet plans and other resources speci{"ted by authors as being written for general audiences are categorized as "consumer."

Inclusion of any book in this section does not imply endorsement by the Society for Nutrition Education. Evaluative comments contained in the reviews and summaries reflect the views of the authors when signed. Reviews and abstracts written by the Reviews Editor are indicated by the initials S .E .C . following the review.

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PROFESSIONAL Vitamins and Minerals in Pregnancy and Lactation (Nestle Nutrition Workshop, vol. 16), Berger, H., ed., 1988. From Raven Press, 1185 Avenue of the Amer­icas, New York, NY 10036, 450pp., hard­cover, $49.00.

This volume presents an international array of distinguished scientists who have made significant research contributions to the area of vitamin and mineral re­quirements during pregnancy and lac­tation.

The section titled "Vitamin and Min­eral Requirements in Infancy: How Can They Be Determined" will be of partic­ular interest to nutritionists. The discus­sion of "Breast Milk As a Model in Early Infancy" is also quite interesting. The volume goes on to discuss: "Maternal Morbidity in Relation to Vitamin and Mineral Status During Pregnancy"; "Fe­tal Development and the Nutritional Sta­tus of the Newborn in Relation to Ma­ternal Vitamin and Mineral Nutriture"; "Vitamins and Minerals During the Post­natal Period and Lactation"; and "Nutri­tional Problems in Breast-Fed and Arti­ficially Fed Infants."

As Jean Rey aptly points out at the end of the book, individuals using this volume should be carefu1 to remember that the RDAs for infants less than 6 months old are based on the composition of mother's milk and, therefore, with the exception of vitamin D, do not concern breast-fed, term babies. This is pertinent when ex­amining the issue surrounding vitamin and mineral needs of breast versus bot­tle-fed babies. It must also be kept in mind that the RDAs are not intended for individual applications.

A definite weakness of the volume is the absence of a chapter on nutrient bio­availability. Such a discussion would have enhanced the chapters on "Basic Con­cepts" and "Nutritional Problems in Breast-Fed and Artificially Fed Infants."

The book is recommended as a refer­ence text for graduate students with pre­requisite academic training in the areas oHnfant Feeding, and Maternal and Child Nutrition. Such academic training should enable the student or nutritionist to crit­ically examine the research information that is presented.

P. LaBeach Pollard, M.P.H., R.D., Assistant Professor, Lorna Linda Uni­versity, School of Public Health, De­partment of Nutrition, Loma Linda, CA 92350.

PROFESSIONAL Clinical and Physiological Applications of Vitamin B-6 (Current Topics in Nu­trition and Disease, vol. 19), Leklem, J. and R Reynolds, eds., 1988. From Alan R. Liss, Inc., 41 East 11th St., New York, NY 10003, 70 pp., hardcover, $90.00. ISBN 0-8451-1618-5.

Is vitamin B-6 really the cure-all that the popular press would have us believe? This highly technical text on current re­search in this complex field is a summary of the Third International Conference on Vitamin B-6 held in Hahnenklee, Ger­many in August 1987. The major goals of the conference were to examine current therapeutic uses of vitamin B-6 in treat­ing select diseases and to identifY areas in the field needing further research. The fact that these conference goals were met is clearly demonstrated by the editors of this volume.

The text begins with a review of vita­min B-6 metabolism and the major func­tions of pyridoxal 5' -phosphate (PLP), its active coenzyme form. Over 100 en­zymes within the body require PLP as an activating coenzyme. However, as is stated in the introductory paper of this text, the exact mechanism of its action are not clearly understood. It is for this reason, the paper suggests, that vitamin B-6 has been implicated in the treatment or prevention of many diverse condi­tions, including heart disease, psycho­logical disorders, kidney stones and can­cer. The role of the vitamin in treating these and other disorders is thoroughly discussed in the succeeding papers.

Thirty-one original research papers are included in this volume. The researcher involved in any aspect of this exciting

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field will find this volume thought-pro­voking reading. The book is also a good review for the clinician interested in the latest theories on vitamin B-6. It objec­tively illustrates differing points of view and highlights areas of controversy. This text is a welcome and valuable addition to our growing understanding of this very complex field.

Cynthia C. Adams, M.S., Coordinator of Occupational Health, The Lehigh Valley Hospital Center-Wellness Cen­ter, 1200 S., Cedar Crest Blvd., Al­lentown, PA 18105.

PROFESSIONAL Nutrition and Cancer Prevention: In­vestigating the role of micronutrients, Moon, T. and M. Micozzi, eds., 1989. From Marcel Dekker, Inc., 270 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, 588 pp., hardcover. $149.75. ISBN 0-8247-7993-2.

This volume, which examines the role of micronutrients in nutrition and cancer prevention, presents an up-to-date mul­tidisciplinary rationale for and review of clinical trials and animal studies in cancer prevention. The contributing authors discuss the role environmental factors, and dietary habits and lifestyle, coexist­ing with possible genetic factors, have as important determinants of human can­cer.

The text is organized into four parts. The first, a rationale for the nutritional prevention of cancer, covers mechanisms for the nutritional inhibition of carcino­genesis, experimental evidence from an­imal studies relating calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc to cancer risk, and human epi­demiologic evidence. The second part, methodologic issues for nutritional as­sessment, discusses analytical proce­dures for identifYing possible anti-cancer agents, including carotenoids, retinoids and vitamin E. In the third part, exten­sive evidence on the role of micronu­trients and various chemical constituents of foods on cancer prevention is pre­sented. The fourth part outlines the var­ious "how tos" of planning, conducting, and interpreting cancer prevention trials. This chapter also discusses study require­ments, statistical procedures, and the dif­ficulties and practical solutions in doing cancer research.

In each chapter, the contributing au­thors limit discussion to nutrients and non-nutrients for which information is available to verifY study effects on the process of carcinogenesis.

l86 EDUCATIONAL MATERlALS IN REVIEW

Each article in this book is extensively referenced, and the text includes a thor­ough discussion of all aspects of cancer prevention research relating to environ­mental factors. The book will be of in­terest to professionals concerned with human nutritional assessment, nutrient composition analysis, and disease pre­vention trials . This book is state-of-the­art, outlines new methods and research needs in the field of cancer prevention, and can be a valuable resource for public knowledge of the role of nutrition in the prevention of cancer.

Suzanne Martin, Ph .D. , R .D., Profes­sor of Nutrition, The School of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO 65726.

CONSUMER Essential Supplements for Women, Reuben, C. and J. Priestley, 1988. From The Putnam Group, 200 Madison Ave. , New York, NY 10016, 195pp. , softcover, $9.95. ISBN 0-399-51437-6.

This is a mixture of medical facts on female health problems and grandious promises for curing the se ailments through the use of vitamins and mineral supplements. Many of the references used to support theories on the etiology of fe­male health problems come from re­spected journals, but the studies that "support" the need for nutritional sup­plementation are anecdotal and unrefer­enced. The authors have gone one step further and designated very specific dose requirements of vitamins and minerals to help "cure" a wide variety of problems such as breast cysts, PMS, nausea during ,lregnancy, abnormal menstrual flow, and menopausal heatflashes, to name a few.

The book is written for a very moti­vated, highly educated, female audience, able to afford buying the vast assortment of vitamins and minerals that are rec­ommended in this book. Another poten­tial audience for this book are health food store owners and employees who want to sound educated enough in general medicine and basic physiology to cast a good sales pitch.

The layout of the book is easy to follow. Subtitles are in larger print and bold type, and each chapter starts with a table ex­plaining the signs, symptoms, causes and solution/supplements for each health problem. The s~ientific validity of some of these charts, however, is debatable. For example, the solutions range from "working through toxic thoughts and at­titudes" for treating vaginal cancer to "taking herbal douches" for vaginitis.

I appreciate the fact that some atten­tion is placed on being aware of one's overall diet - food nutrition and attitude on life, and I agree with the authors that chemotherapy, radiation therapy and non-

therapies may not be the answer to cur­rent female problems. However, I do not believe that there are sufficient scientif­ically sound, controlled studies to sup­port such specific doses and combina­tions of vitamins. In the meanwhile, books like these serve to nurture the vitamin and mineral supplement business, along with a lot of false hope that through sup­plementation alone women can be free of physical suffering.

Natalie Nicole Tauzin, M.P.H., RD., Assistant Director of Health and Well­ness, API Corporation. Teleflora Plaza 12233 W. Olympic Blvd . Suite 140a, Los Angeles, CA 90064 .

PROFESSIONAL Current Therapy in Nutrition, Jeejeeb­hoy, K., ed.1988. FromTheC.V. Mosby Co., 11830 Westline Industrial Dr. , Saint Louis, MO 63146, 497 pp., softcover, $29.95.

This publication discusses the role of nutrition in the treatment of a variety of disorders. Examples include: enteral and parenteral nutrition, dietary fiber, die­tary supplements, nutrition and gastroin­testinal diseases, liver diseases, surgery, renal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, pediatrics, and can­cer. An excellent variety of authors, all experts in their fields, prOVide the com­mentary . Specific investigators and study results are listed but few references are given. Tables and figures provide sum­mary data but are also not referenced. There are short lists of suggested read­ings from current texts or research lit­erature at the end of each topic.

This book provides a sound and cur­rent blend of research and practical in­formation in an easily readable format. The resource would best be used as a reference handbook and would be useful to dietitians , physicians , nurses , stu­dents, and others in the health care field who work with nutrition as a treatment modality in various diseases.

Olivia B. Wood, M.P.H ., RD., As­sistant Professor, Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.

PROFESSIONAL Clinical Nutrition, Paige, D . , ed., 1988. From the C.V. Mosby Co., 11830 West­line Industrial Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63146,937 pp., hardcover, $54.95. ISBN 0-8016-3873-9.

This updated compendium integrates the basic elements of nutrition with the principles of patient assessment and in­tervention . The text is divided into seven parts, with each chapter containing use­ful tables, diagrams and references.

Part I reviews the fundamentals of nu-

trition metabolism in general terms. The six major classes of nutrients and non­nutrient factors that can alter the nutri­tional requirements are discussed. Part II, which focuses on nutrition during the lifespan of an indiVidual, includes a chap­ter dealing specifically with the elderly. Part III is devoted to methods of evalu­ating nutritional status. Extensive cov­erage is given to anthropometric tech­niques. Clinical evaluation methods and relevant laboratory tests are discussed. Methods of dietary assessment as part of a comprehensive nutritional status eval­uation are reviewed.

Part IV focuses on systemic disorders, the nutritional disorders associated with them and nutritional intervention. Part V addresses specific disease states and their nutritional management. This sec­tion includes chapters on enteral and par­enteral nutrition, infant parenteral nu­trition and home parenteral nutrition. Part VI discusses the pathophysiology, diagnosis, consequences and treatment ofPEM, nutritional deficiencies and other abnormalities. Part VII includes an ex­tensive chapter that examines the rela­tionship between diet and physical per­formance and addresses developing eating strategies to meet specific needs . Other chapters include a discussion on nutrient density, vegetarianism, and guidelines for nutritional counseling. The Appen­dices provide detailed tables, including a selected summary of the availability, digestion, function and sources of RDA nutrients. Also included are selected ref­erences, diets and an analyses of popular diets .

This book could serve as a text for ad­vanced nutrition students or as a valuable reference for students and nutrition prac­titioners.

Frances Tomaszewski, M.S ., R.D., Chief Clinical Dietitian, HCA Medical Center, Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 .

PROFESSIONAUCONSUMER Managing Type II Diabetes: Your invi­tation to a healthier lifestyle, Bergenstal, R., S. Adolphson , P. Hollander and A. Monk, 1988. From DCI Publishing, Box 739, Wayzata, MN 55391, 150 pp., softcover, $9.95. ISBN 0-937721-24-7.

The twenty chapters in this book en­courage the person with Type II diabetes to become involved in his or her diabetes care . Chapter titles range from "More About Diabetes," "Emotions: They Af­fect Us Even When We Ignore Them," "Changing Eating Habits - for the Bet­ter," "Motivation: Keeping Yourself Moving," to "Action." In between these are additional chapters on nutrition, ex­ercise, and the various complications of diabetes.