The landscape of sports nutrition is dramatically altering, as those in search of optimal performance are moving the field from haphazard alchemy to exact science. Currently, thousands of products -- from ancient herbs and old standards to hormone extractions and test tube concoctions --compete for a place at the training table of both professional and amateur competitors, as well as those non-athletes seeking some potent elixir of youth. Unfortunately, getting straight and genuinely relevant information on these products can be a time consuming and frustrating challenge.

The CRC Desk Reference on Sports Nutrition following in the tradition of authoritative CRC references, will place in your hands the most comprehensive desk reference available on sports nutrition products.

Intelligently organized, each entry, depending upon its prominence and importance, is followed either by a definition, paragraph, essay, composition, article, or feature article. Many of the more complex entries are supported with figures or tables.

While the authors have adhered to the principles of scientific discipline, they have also taken the effort to make the text highly accessible to anyone with an interest in sports nutrition. Extremely relevant, the listings include important issues regarding exercise metabolism and performance, recent products, both legal and illegal, as well as common dietary supplements and traditional herbs.

Recent events make it clear that it is becoming more and more challenging for practitioners to adhere to the Hippocratic caveat of do no harm, as supplements become more potent and potentially more dangerous. With its desk reference on sports nutrition, CRC has taken the lead in helping to meet that challenge.

Primary author and editor: Mark Kern, PhD, RD, Department of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University. Editor-in-Chief of SCAN's PULSE (American Dietetic Association).
Contributing authors: Yael