Clinical Sports Nutrition.

Clinical Sports Nutrition

Burke L, Deakin V. McGraw Hill, Sydney, 2006, 822 pages, $110.00, ISBN 0074716026

This is the third instalment of what is considered 'the bible' of sports nutrition by sports dietitians in Australia and overseas. The first edition of CSN in 1994 was a pioneering textbook that brought practical sports nutrition to the fore. The second edition was published in 2000 and this latest version has again had significant upgrades.

CSN now boasts 60 more pages and a slightly different format but still has contributions from the who's who of sports nutrition research and practical application from around the world. The style of previous editions remains with each of the 25 chapters having detailed discussion of the scientific principles as well as practice tips from leading sports dietitians and respected sports medicine professionals. The chapter on the historical perspective of sports nutrition from the second edition has been left out, which is probably the only negative as this was always a good reference when teaching students about the advances in sports nutrition over the past few decades.

Every chapter has updated and extensive reading lists even in the chapters that have not really changed. Several chapters have had significant reviews including the chapters on iron and disordered eating. The new feature that works well is the inclusion of three 'commentary' chapters. Commentary A on 'The evolution of the Female Athlete Triad' is timely with the author Anne Loucks being heavily involved in the revision of the American College of Sports Medicine consensus statement due very soon. Australians Trent Watson and David Pyne contribute their expertise in the other two commentaries 'The science of antioxidants and exercise performance' and 'Nutrition for the athlete's immune system', both of which are emerging areas in sports nutrition research.

CSN covers all of the key sports nutrition topics in the depth you would expect. The difference between CSN and other texts is that it is written by experts for sports nutrition professionals but remains a pleasurable read without sacrificing the expert knowledge. While other authors have tried to replicate it, CSN remains a standout text and will continue to be the textbook of choice for students enrolled in sports nutrition courses and for sports dietitians in clinical practice. Anyone who has previous editions will pick their way through the new one to find the differences and will find this a valuable addition to the bookcase. Those picking up CSN for the first time will find themselves reading it back to front despite its 800+ pages, the same way I did with the original edition. This is not just another sports nutrition text, this is THE sports nutrition text and for anyone serious about sports nutrition this is $110 well spent.

Anthony Meade, MND, APD 

Sports Dietitian, President, Sports Dietitians Australia

Richmond, Victoria, Australia

Dietitian, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Health Service

Woodville, South Australia, Australia