My biochem books SUCK

[prettypea]

So I just finished off our first bout of biochem with books called Lodish (Molecular Cell BIology) and Baynes (Medical Biochemistry). I had such high hopes for them! And they stank - bigtime. We're doing biochem again in the fall over here and I want, no I NEED, a replacement. Any and all advice would be good. I have the Champe and Harvey but that was a little too much of a summary for me - I need more explanations and descriptions. Any ideas?

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[lindyloohoo]

i used voet, voet and pratt "fundamentals in biochemistry" in undergrad and in med school. served me well. great pictures and the cd that comes with it helped in understanding oxidative phosphorylation and certain crystalline structures. it's honestly the only book i ever read in undergrad.

 

[gschl1234]

i used voet, voet and pratt "fundamentals in biochemistry" in undergrad and in med school. served me well. great pictures and the cd that comes with it helped in understanding oxidative phosphorylation and certain crystalline structures. it's honestly the only book i ever read in undergrad.

I also used the book and really enjoyed it although it's strictly a biochem text and does not have an emphasis on clinical/medical biochemistry.

 

[lattimer13]

biochem itself sucks.

 

[8744]

For God's sake. Get "Lippincott's Illustrated Review: Biochemistry" and sell those other books to some unsuspecting freshman.

 

[flighterdoc]

For God's sake. Get "Lippincott's Illustrated Review: Biochemistry" and sell those other books to some unsuspecting freshman.

 

[Maple]

Biochem doesn't suck...but the professors certainly do! stink!

 

[bw07]

lippincotts all the way

 

[lindyloohoo]

I have the Champe and Harvey but that was a little too much of a summary for me - I need more explanations and descriptions. Any ideas?

I think the OP already has lippencott's. it is a great book though. I've already read it once for boards and it's looking like i might need a picture review from it soon.

 

[Discobolus]

Baynes Biochemistry was the required text for my medical biochemistry class (one of our professors wrote a few chapters in it). Funny thing was that most of the professors relied heavily on either Harper's or Lehninger. In fact they've changed the required textbook to Lehninger. Anyway, I think Harper's Biochemistry or Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry are both really good. Harper's has a bit more clinical correlations (as it's intended for medical biochemistry), whereas Lehninger is more like an undergrad text with boxes about famous biochemists, discoveries, etc. Either are good texts.

 

[merlin17]

you have two semesters of biochem? wow, we have five weeks i think!!!

anyway, lippincott is good...

molecular cell biology (lodish) is actually a good book for molecular/cell biology (it isn't a biochem book)...if you were using it for biochem, then that was off...but a lot choose it over Alberts (molecular biology of the cell) for their all purpose cell biology book...its an amazing book, but very long!
Stryer Biochemistry is pretty much the standard biochem book around here but I found it way to in depth for med school and never opened it.

Lippincott all the way for biochem, I would say alberts for cell biology.

 

[Pathos]

Champe and Harvey is probably best for a medical student. Remember you are not getting a Ph.D in this stuff. I would recommend it b/c I used the diagrams and it was helpful for Step 1. On Step 1 if you can pretty much identify which enzymes go w/ which pathway you will be aok, and the clinical diseases of course. Naturally, all of the stuff is really rare except on national boards. Best of luck.

 

[flsweetlady]

So I just finished off our first bout of biochem with books called Lodish (Molecular Cell BIology) and Baynes (Medical Biochemistry). I had such high hopes for them! And they stank - bigtime. We're doing biochem again in the fall over here and I want, no I NEED, a replacement. Any and all advice would be good. I have the Champe and Harvey but that was a little too much of a summary for me - I need more explanations and descriptions. Any ideas?

I used the Rapid Review Series for biochemsitry which had a little more explanation, and came with a CD with questions on it

 

[azzarah]

I like the Berg & Stryer if you are looking for a biochem textbook. lippincott is great too!

 

[DOapplicant]

leningher is my favorite textbook of all time. no joke.
great in undergrad but not v.practical for a med studuent.
i used it primarliy as a refrence in med biochem - really helpul diagrams w/detailed captions.

as a primary source in med school- i'd agree w/others and say lippincott; heard NEW edition out this fall.

lastly, might be a good idea to annotate biochem in First Aid as you take bc.

best regards

 

[Scott_L]

The third edition of Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews Biochemistry will be out in August. Lots of great new features and will be even more helpful for Step 1.

-Scott Lavine
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
[email protected]

 

[lotanna]

The third edition of Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews Biochemistry will be out in August. Lots of great new features and will be even more helpful for Step 1.

-Scott Lavine
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
[email protected]

the website says July 26. when will it be out?

 

[drlexygoat]

A note on Lodish...

The most recent edition is lacking a few things, in my opinion. It shorted translation and transcription wayyyy too much. While I liked the chapter on molec techniques and thought it had good pictures, the book lost points in genetic engineering.

A solution? Use the old edition as a supplement. It's online at PubMed bookshelf. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?call=bv.View..ShowTOC&rid=mcb.TOC
Hey, it's free!

 

[Jamaican MD]

With the Lippincott Biochem book, can I get by without a textbook?

 

[felipe5]

To the OP: ALL biochem books suck........apparently some of them suck less than others. Thus far I'm getting by without ANY textbook, for our teachers give out pretty good notes/have good syllabi, and thats just good enough for me Maybe later when we get into metabolism etc I might need to borrow Lippincotts, but for now I say "SCREW BIOCHEM"

 

[Sage880]

With the Lippincott Biochem book, can I get by without a textbook?

I have been so far. But I did some bio-chem in undergrad (but I assume most did) so I am building from a foundation. If you were new to Biochem, Lippincott might not explaing everything as well as you'd need. Or as slowly as you need actually. Lippincott's is just jam packed with biochem info. More info per sentance/picture then any other book I've ever read.

 

[medstudent2008]

BRS biochemistry is really good for review. The questions at the end of each section are helpful too. Marks is our required text but, like most biochm material, it sucks!

 

[Wrigleyville]

Don't bother with a biochem text. Stick with the review books for basic science stuff like that -- you will drive yourself insane reading those textbooks. The biochem will make 100% more sense once you start in with physiology and pathology anyway.

Lippincott's was PLENTY of information for biochemistry exams. You will not need anything else if you have that. BRS is more compact, and an outstanding review, but I wouldn't recommend it as your primary resource.

 

[fielight]

i say go for Lehninger Principles of Biochem. i used it in undergrad, and then they required it again for med school. (i actually sold my copy in my junior year of college... so i was kicking myself for that.) it's a good book, with a lot of illustrations and more detailed descriptions. of the texts they suggested at my school (along with Lodish, Marks, and Alberts), Lehninger would be the only one i would buy; i think it's the more comprehensive compared to the other texts, and has a wider scope. (i have to admit though, that i didn't use a text for biochem... i found the syllabus sufficient, and reading a book would be a huge waste of time.)

Lippincott's review is also recommended by a lot of upper classmen. apparently, it's a good guide for preparing for boards (so if you're going to end up buying it anyway, you might as well get it now).