The book takes a novel approach to the world's major crops, eschewing the normal yield, disease resistance and quality aspects in favour of the much more fundamental health aspects. Dr Gupta's tome is not for the fainthearted with 648 pages covering the health benefits of cereals, millets, tubers, grain legumes, as well as vegetable, cash and oil crops.

Many of the health aspects dealt with are major world diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and obesity, while the lesser but very prevalent conditions, such as allergenicity, antithrombotic and osteoporosis, are given significant attention. The book is an excellent starter for scientists working in the fields of natural product functionality, biomolecular and clinical diseases and pharmacology amongst others. It is written in a way that it neither trivialises the science nor makes the findings overly complex.

Many of the impacts of the crops on human health will come as a surprise to the casual reader such as the anti-diarrhoeal effect of the fibre fraction of germinated barley, phaseolus bean lectin-derived anti-HIV potential and the more controversial beneficial effects of sugarcane-derived policosanol on cerebral edema and ischemia. For all of the health benefits, in both major and minor conditions, the supportive in vitro/vivo and ex vivo literature is both current and comprehensive.

All in all, the book is an excellent primer for the state of the art in crops and human health and suitable for both new and experienced scientists.