Clinical Sports Nutrition.(Book review)

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 ...