Book excerpt: The first edition of this innovative book brought a new perspective to the metabolic and therapeutic aspects of amino acids in clinical nutrition. Since its publication, a number of very important advances have been made in the field and interesting new findings have emerged. Until now, no reference has fully explored the promising new developments and applications in this key area of clinical nutrition. Completely revised and updated, Metabolic and Therapeutic Aspects of Amino Acids in Clinical Nutrition, Second Edition presents current information and discussions on amino acid metabolism in various health and nutritional states. Chapters cover amino acid uptake routes, physiology, requirements, metabolism, and applications. Written by an international group of experts, the text re-evaluates data and hypotheses in light of the most recent discoveries in genomics and proteomics research. Building on the solid foundation of the original reference, the second edition refines much of the previous information and features the fresh insight and ideas of new authors. These timely additions on the role of amino acids in the future of human health and disease ensure that this book will continue to be a standard resource for researchers in this field.