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Nutrition Guide for Physicians
New Resources for Nutrition Educators BOOK Nutrition Guide for Physicians. Wilson T, Bray GA, Temple NJ, Boyle Struble M. 2010. Springer, 333 Meadowlands Parkway, Secaucus, NJ 07094. Hardback book, 437 pp, $89.95, ISBN: 978-1-60327-430-2. Nutrition Guide for Physicians is targeted to medical practitioners, providing practical topic overviews and essential updates from current peer-reviewed research. Calling on 39 contributors, the Nutrition Guide aims to meet the needs of physicians in applying current nutrition information to relevant patient care. The topics in Nutrition Guide for Physicians are grouped in 3 parts. The first section provides the physician with a review of nutrition basics, for example, macro- and micronutrients, fiber, Dietary Reference Intakes, food safety, dietary supplements, and national recommendations on healthful diets. The second section focuses on the role of nutrition through the lifecycle and optimal nutrition patterns for each life stage, including pregnancy, childhood, and later years. The final section contains topics of practical interest to the practicing physician, with a focus on dietary connections to the prevention, cause, and treatment of disease. Examples include a useful chapter on methods of nutrition assessment along with practice guidelines, and reviews of major clinical trials that have informed nutrition and health recommendations. From the nutrition professional’s point of view, a strength of the guide
is that it includes a reminder to readers that the clinical expertise of a registered dietitian is an essential resource for reliable nutrition and dietary information. The guide also succinctly covers behavior change theories and how the physician can help encourage dietary change. Other useful contents include a simplified table of Recommended Daily Allowance/Adequate Intake values for vitamins and minerals, which is referenced fairly frequently by practitioners. Also, a short chapter on ‘‘Cutting through the Confusion’’ on Daily Reference Intakes is likely to be appreciated. Other chapters of interest
are those on dietary supplements, obesity and eating disorders, diabetes, and heart disease. Quibbles about the book might include that although their sources of reliable information on nutrition in the Appendix are strong in their listing of Web sites, they are weak on books and even more so on journals. The editors seem to assume or guess that physicians will be unlikely to read the nutrition journals, which this reviewer hopes is an incorrect assumption. Finally, the international perspective was generally overlooked, and the book had a North Americancentric slant, with only 10% of the 39 contributors located outside of the United States and Canada. Within the larger series, however, there is a volume on Nutrition and Developing Countries, for health professionals who appreciate a global perspective on nutrition and health. In sum, the Physician’s Guide to Nutrition offers practical coverage of the multiple intersections between nutrition and health, including ‘‘hot topics’’ about which patients are likely to ask. Catherine Briggs, MD, MPH, Public Health Consultant, c/o 9 Galen St, Suite 217, Watertown, MA 02472; E-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2010.09.015
Cite this article as Briggs C. Nutrition Guide for Physicians [New Resources for Nutrition Educators]. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2011;43:73.e7.
Inclusion of any material in this section does not imply endorsement by the Society for Nutrition Education. Evaluative comments contained in the reviews reflect the views of the authors. Review abstracts are either prepared by the reviewer or extracted from the product literature. Prices quoted are those provided by the publishers at the time materials were submitted. They may not be current when the review is published. Reviewers receive a complimentary copy of the resource as part of the review process. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2011;43:73.e7 Ó2011 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 43, Number 1, 2011
73.e7
is that it includes a reminder to readers that the clinical expertise of a registered dietitian is an essential resource for reliable nutrition and dietary information. The guide also succinctly covers behavior change theories and how the physician can help encourage dietary change. Other useful contents include a simplified table of Recommended Daily Allowance/Adequate Intake values for vitamins and minerals, which is referenced fairly frequently by practitioners. Also, a short chapter on ‘‘Cutting through the Confusion’’ on Daily Reference Intakes is likely to be appreciated. Other chapters of interest
are those on dietary supplements, obesity and eating disorders, diabetes, and heart disease. Quibbles about the book might include that although their sources of reliable information on nutrition in the Appendix are strong in their listing of Web sites, they are weak on books and even more so on journals. The editors seem to assume or guess that physicians will be unlikely to read the nutrition journals, which this reviewer hopes is an incorrect assumption. Finally, the international perspective was generally overlooked, and the book had a North Americancentric slant, with only 10% of the 39 contributors located outside of the United States and Canada. Within the larger series, however, there is a volume on Nutrition and Developing Countries, for health professionals who appreciate a global perspective on nutrition and health. In sum, the Physician’s Guide to Nutrition offers practical coverage of the multiple intersections between nutrition and health, including ‘‘hot topics’’ about which patients are likely to ask. Catherine Briggs, MD, MPH, Public Health Consultant, c/o 9 Galen St, Suite 217, Watertown, MA 02472; E-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2010.09.015
Cite this article as Briggs C. Nutrition Guide for Physicians [New Resources for Nutrition Educators]. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2011;43:73.e7.
Inclusion of any material in this section does not imply endorsement by the Society for Nutrition Education. Evaluative comments contained in the reviews reflect the views of the authors. Review abstracts are either prepared by the reviewer or extracted from the product literature. Prices quoted are those provided by the publishers at the time materials were submitted. They may not be current when the review is published. Reviewers receive a complimentary copy of the resource as part of the review process. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2011;43:73.e7 Ó2011 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 43, Number 1, 2011
73.e7