This issue of Topics in Clinical Nutrition focuses on timely areas of interest among dietetic practitioners: omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, consumption of soyfoods, and cancer management. Just as important to advancing practice are assessing the skills of dietitians in using computer technology and working with low-income families.

Marion Winkler has done a concise, informative review that discusses body compositional changes in cancer cachexia patients. The review examined whether body composition can be changed with drug therapy or specific nutrient components. She concluded that several strategies including physical therapy seem to be necessary to promote stable weights and increase lean body mass in patients with cancer cachexia. This article will be a very helpful tool for oncology dietitians and other clinicians.

A chart review of head and neck cancer patients is reported by Zogbaum and her coauthors. They determined if treatment and adherence and weight maintenance improved in 21 patients who received tube feedings prior to and throughout radiation therapy. The tube-fed group lost less weight and missed fewer days of radiation treatments. These findings suggest the need for more prospective studies to verify the trends shown in this chart review.

Lacey and her colleagues have investigated the intakes of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids among a sample of 51 college women. Three-day food records were used to estimate the amount of selected nutrients including alpha linoleic acid. The mean intake was well below 0.7 +/- 0.4 g compared to the recommended average intake of 1.1 g. They concluded that nutrition education is needed for this population to include more omega-3-rich foods in their diets.

The association between omega-3 fatty acids and depression in 33 older women was examined by Ma and Taylor. Those who were depressed according to the Geriatric Depression Scale had significantly lower levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in their red blood cells. On the basis of the current level of interest in depression, dementia, and fatty acids intake, the authors recommended that practitioners working with older adults measure the consumption of these fats in the diet.

Dietitians have always had an interest in exercise physiology especially those who counsel weekend and elite athletes. Christopher Berger, an instructor teaching Exercise Physiology, reviewed the current literature on the "crossover concept" of fuel utilization of fat and carbohydrate as intensity increases in those individuals who exercise. He summarized the major points that will help dietitians and nutritionists in clinical practice.

Cason teamed up with several colleagues to compare Food Stamp Program and non-Food Stamp Program participants on dietary and food-behavior changes when nutrition education was conducted. Both groups made improvements. Future studies should be done to evaluate the nutrition education including the depth and duration of effective content that results in changes in food behavior and subsequent dietary improvements.

Focus groups can provide some insight into reasons why certain foods are not readily consumed in the diet even though there are health benefits associated with these foods. Wenrich and Cason organized focus groups to identify the perceptions and education needs regarding soyfoods for low-income consumers. The focus group participants were nutrition education advisors who work with low-income families on ways to improve their dietary practices and resource management. From the groups they learned that additional education appeared necessary to teach the educators about the inclusion of soyfoods in their training classes and in their own diets.

A descriptive study by Davis and her colleagues in Pennsylvania assessed the skills and usage of Internet technology in a group of dietitians. One hundred seventy-five respondents indicated skills in using electronic mail but less proficiency in using Web applications. One constraint appeared to be access to Internet because only 18% of employers provided Internet service to dietitians at their workplace. They suggested future research that tracks the progress of dietitians in respect to technology compared to other health professionals.

Byrd-Bredbenner examined the knowledge of food preparation and attitudes toward food preparation of 704 young adults. She found that overall food preparation knowledge was low and most overestimated their knowledge. She provides some information to guide nutrition professionals when counseling clients.

Thank-you for your continued support and readership. I welcome Professor Jane White, PhD, RD, FADA, to our editorial board. She is well-known as an author, researcher, and former President of the American Dietetic Association and will bring her clinical and editorial expertise to Topics in Clinical Nutrition.