Abstract
Recent progress in the field of molecular biology has had a considerable effect on both basic and applied clinical nutrition and offers even greater promise for the future. It is important for individuals working in clinical nutrition, as well as basic science investigators, to have an understanding of the fundamental concepts of molecular biology in order to be able to evaluate and apply new approaches to clinical problems as they become available. The purpose of this review is to provide those who are not molecular biologists with a brief overview of the fundamental concepts of molecular biology and then to describe a number of the recent applications of molecular biological methods and tools in the field of nutrition.