Klevay Leslie M. - Clinical nutrition of the essential trace elements and minerals: the guide for health professionals

The Nutrition and Health series of books have, as an overriding mission, to provide health professionals with texts that are considered essential because each includes 1) a synthesis of the state of the science, 2) timely, in-depth reviews by the leading researchers in their respective fields, 3) extensive, up-to-date fully annotated reference lists, 4) a detailed index, 5) relevant tables and figures, 6) identification of paradigm shifts and the consequences, 7) virtually no overlap of information between chapters, but targeted, inter-chapter referrals, 8) suggestions of areas for future research, and 9) balanced, data-driven answers to patient questions which are based upon the totality of evidence rather than the findings of any single study.

The series volumes are not the outcome of a symposium. Rather, each editor has the potential to examine a chosen area with a broad perspective, both in subject matter as well as in the choice of chapter authors. The international perspective, especially with regard to public health initiatives, is emphasized where appropriate. The editors, whose trainings are both research and practice oriented, have the opportunity to develop a primary objective for their book; define the scope and focus, and then invite the leading authorities from around the world to be part of their initiative. The authors are encouraged to provide an overview of the field, discuss their own research and relate the research findings to potential human health consequences. Because each book is developed de novo, the chapters can be coordinated so that the resulting volume imparts greater knowledge than the sum of the information contained in the individual chapters.

Clinical Nutrition of the Essential Trace Elements and Minerals , edited by John D. Bogden and Leslie M. Klevay, exemplifies the mission of the Nutrition and Health series. Drs. Bogden and Klevay provide the reader with a unique perspective and focused view of the importance of the essentiality of trace elements and minerals for optimal health as well as their requirements and functions in specific disease conditions. By including an extensive review of the basic concepts of mineral metabolism, consumption patterns over the history of Man, assessment tools, and safety issues, this text gains in importance as a valuable resource for students as well as those who are practicing health professionals. The text also includes critically important chapters that discuss the requirements of these essential nutrients during adolescence, pregnancy, and lactation, and in the elderly. Medically related professionals will certainly find the chapters related to the genetic diseases that affect mineral metabolism of particular importance to their practice. Additional chapters provide in-depth reviews of the functions of minerals and their roles in the endocrine, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, immune, skeletal, and ocular systems of the body. This volume is of particular importance because it includes understandable chapters in highly technical areas written by the leading authorities of their fields of research. Thus, Clinical Nutrition of the Essential Trace Elements and Minerals represents a comprehensive, up-to-date resource for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, nutrition and public health educators, practicing physicians, and other health care providers as well as clinical and laboratory researchers.

Adrianne Bendich, PhD

SmithKline Beecham Consumer Health Care Parsippany, NJ

As we cross from one century into another, a comprehensive and authoritative presentation of knowledge and science of the biology of trace elements and minerals not only fills a great need, but also represents growing recognition of the importance of nutrition science for its impact on health and policy. The first half of the last century was an era of discovery in nutrition with all of the vitamins discovered, culminating in the description of the structure of vitamin B12 in 1947. No less important was the elucidation of the biological and nutritional essentiality of many minerals leading to an appropriate place in our list of recommended nutrients for health. But it was in the second half of the 20th century that the definitions of essential nutrients and essential minerals underwent a most important change and even a paradigm shift as knowldge increased of the relationship between mineral nutrition and chronic degenerative disease. The history of mineral biology in the past three decades includes the important discoveries which have led to a virtual explosion in knowledge and understanding of the importance of these nutrients in health and disease as is so well documented in the second half of this timely text. The discovery of binding proteins which were regulatory in the metabolism of minerals, of cellular receptors, and of nuclear receptors, binding sites regulating the expression of macromolecules critical to human biology exerted by trace minerals, and the remarkable improvements in instrumentation and chemical measuring precision have put mineral nutrition research at the forefront of the nutritional/biological revolution. Now the promise of plant biotechnology adds further elements to the projection of beneficial changes in our food supply.

These enhancements in knowledge have permitted a much more science-based approach to some of the most important health problems in the world, including a better understanding of iron absorption and metabolism leading to better ways of preventing the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, iron deficiency. A better understanding of the role of zinc in growth and development and enzyme function and metabolism has permitted that mineral to take its place among those that are targeted for important interventions in worldwide problems of child undernutrition. A better understanding of the many functions of copper in biology and metabolism have permitted that nutrient to be added to the essential nutrients as a factor in our understanding of heart disease and diet-heart interactions.

Clinical Nutrition of the Essential Trace Elements and Minerals sets a high standard for presentation of the scientific bases for the importance of minerals in human biology and health and will thereby contribute in a major way to the appropriate application of science for improved public health and preventive nutrition. No less important will be its contribution to establishing the foundation for moving the science in this important field even further.