Human Nutrition, 11th ed.

Geissler C, Powers H, eds. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, London, 2005, 743 pages, $124.30, ISBN 0446073562

Human Nutrition has quite a pedigree--the new title of an old treasure, Human Nutrition and Dietetics. It was first published in 1959 and became known as the quintessential 'Davidson and Passmore' until the arrival of the ninth edition in 1993.

So what has changed? Geissler and Powers are the new editors, replacing Garrow and James who guided the ninth (1993) and, with Ralph, the 10th (2000) editions. With the exception of Jim Mann, there is a new line-up of chapter authors, 50 in total, making this virtually a new book rather than new edition.

While the book remains soft covered and of a similar size, the format of the 11th edition has a distinctly contemporary flavour--there is a two-colour design, learning objectives, key points and additional resources on a CD-ROM. These additional resources include a large number of illustrations/tables, up to six per page in some chapters.

As for the content itself, there are changes in emphasis reflecting the evolution of nutrition science. The content is organised into six parts, each with an editor--food and nutrients, body composition and macronutrient composition, micronutrient function, dietary requirements of specific groups, clinical nutrition, and public health nutrition.

In Part 1, the previous treatment of commodity groups has been replaced by sections that focus on the patterns of food consumption and their determinants, plus food and nutrient structure. Information of commodity groups is now given on the CD-ROM. While there is naturally some use of UK or EU data, it does not lose its wide applicability. The separation of macronutrient structure from metabolism has led to some duplication given that the authors of the relevant chapters are different.

Part 2 begins with a chapter on the physiology of nutrient digestion, a sound summary including mention of the role of the gastrointestinal tract in the regulation of feeding. The chapters on carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism are excellent, incorporating more biochemistry than one would expect in an undergraduate nutrition text.

The single author coverage of the water-soluble vitamins in Part 3 has resulted in identical subheadings for each vitamin, which reinforces basic concepts and allows for an easy grasp of the relevant issues. An equally appropriate standardised format has also been used for the fat-soluble vitamins and minerals and trace elements. I guess it is a sign of the angst associated with the need to contain the ever-expanding information that the history of each vitamin has been omitted. The final section in Part 3 is a useful commentary on inter-micronutrient topics (e.g. micronutrients and the immune response, phenols and polyphenols).

The excellent coverage of nutrients leads on to consideration of dietary requirements for specific groups (Part 4), including a useful chapter on ageing and older people. Part 5 includes chapters on standard clinical topics: cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, skeletal issues and dental disease, with the focus on prevention. I am surprised at the inclusion of a chapter entitled diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (authored by two dietitians), and one entitled immune function, food allergies and food intolerance, as the authors state that 'the textbook concentrates on the principles and context of human nutrition leaving the application to dietetics to be dealt with by existing excellent textbooks of dietetics'. To some extent, the choice of topics here depends on what is meant by clinical nutrition--is managing disease (e.g. by particular food avoidance) the same as treating disease?

After a chapter on deficiency diseases focusing on global issues of undernutrition, vitamin A, iodine and iron, Part 5 ends with diet and genotype interactions. This chapter takes nothing for granted by beginning with the basics of gene structure and expression--again, entirely appropriate in a graduate nutrition programme where basics from an undergraduate training need to be resurrected.

The final part on public health nutrition has chapters on epidemiology, nutritional assessment methods, food supply and policies and interventions. The last chapter has a global focus and thus is useful to those studying international nutrition. My overwhelming feeling is that this is primarily a text for a graduate nutrition course. I suspect undergraduate students would be frustrated by the continual need to refer to the CD-ROM for most diagrams. Having said that, it is a welcome addition to my reference library as it would be for many nutritionists and dietitians in Australia.

Jill Sherriff, PhD, APD 

Director, Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science

Curtin University of Technology

Perth, Western Australia, Australia