Understanding Dietary Supplements

The decision to take a dietary supplement may be based on the recommendation of a doctor, a dietitian, or a friend. Information regarding dietary supplements abounds but can be misleading or contradictory. Understanding Dietary Supplements is a guide to making informed choices.

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For many consumers, taking one or more dietary supple-ments is a natural addition to a healthy lifestyle. The decision to take a dietary supplement may be based on the recommendation of a doctor, a dietitian, or a friend. Television, newspapers, magazines, websites, and persuasive marketing materials in the pharmacy or supermarket may sway buyers. Information regarding dietary supplements abounds but can be misleading or contradictory. Understanding Dietary Supplements is a guide to making informed choices. Chapters provide

Both an overview and detailed information about key supplements
Coverage of a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals, herbs and botanicals, drugs, and other options
Jargon-free explanations of how each supplement can work on the body
Safety concerns about interactions and misuse
Regulations imposed on the industry and recent trends in the industry's development
A glossary and listings of outside resources

Included here, the full text of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994--the model for the FDA's regulation of dietary supplements--affords guidance to deciphering labels and determining value. Understanding Dietary Supplements is an easy-to-use guide to a much demanded but often misunderstood group of products. Jenna Hollenstein is clinical editor at the Pri-Med Institute of MC Communications in Boston, Massachusetts. Her work has been published in Nutrition Reviews, Nutrition in Clinical Care, ILSI News, Pri-Med in Practice, and Pri-Med Online.