Product Description
With more than 300,000 copies in print, The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book is a trusted resource for people seeking to make sense of the plethora of information about nutritional supplements. Now in its fourth edition, this book provides up-to-date scientific validation for the use of dietary supplementation in both the treatment and prevention of disease and for overall optimum health-the very facts that are not made available to consumers when they purchase supplements.

In this fully revised and updated fourth edition, readers will find:

- complete usage and dosage recommendations for the twenty-eight basic vitamins and minerals that every person needs to promote health and to slow aging;
- advanced recommendations for special conditions that may require additional supplementation; and
- quick-reference charts and tables for easily updating supplement regimens.

With clear, understandable explanations, the most current scientifically documented nutrient guidelines, and easy-to-follow charts, The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book is concise and to the point-the only resource readers will need.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 7 reviews)

Good Information, but not complete

I purchased this book based on the high reviews that it received. Although it contains a lot of useful information on supplements, there is no mention of food allergies, which is curious, as they can cause malnutrition and discomfort, causing people to purchase books like this in the first place. There is a lot of valuable information in this book, but it does not stand by itself. I'd recommend a book like Dangerous Grains: Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous To Your Health or a recent food allergy book in combination with this book.
As a mis-diagnosed celiac, with autoimmune disease, I found out the hard way that wheat has no place in vitamins or medications.
I have gone on the advice of books like this in the past and if you go to the vitamin store and look at the fancy mega or ultra packs, you'll see that some of the most expensive ones contain wheat, and if you didn't know you were allergic to it, you'd think that you were helping yourself out by buying them. You might even feel better for a week or two, but unless you address the food allergies, you won't sustain it.
So arm yourself with the information in this book, but it is not complete information, and if it is your only source of information, you might not feel as good as you can.
September 24, 2008

I trust this book

I bought this book based on the stellar reviews on Amazon. I'm very happy with it and refer to it constantly. I particularly like that the doses recommended are above and beyond the RDA, which is the MINIMUM needed for optimal health (the book cover says: RDAs "are designed only to prevent the most obvious deficiency diseases -- they are the 'minimum wages' of nutrition. RDIs are not adequate for anyone looking for optimal health." The book has handy tables for each vitamin and mineral and breaks down the maximum doses for optimal health. It also lists side effects. Turns out most vitamins are not toxic unless taken at levels that most humans really have to try hard to attain. Most side effects are completely reversible by simply not taking the vitamin any longer.

I trust this book over other sources because it has data backed by clinical studies from reputable organizations such as the American Medical Association and New England Journal of Medicine. Fro example, the book says it's okay to take 400-800 IU of vitamin E daily for heart health. I've seen other sources say it's too much -- presumably based on a study that the media jumped all over that said high doses were unsafe, but the study was flawed by several variables as they were not comparing apples to apples. I think when others recommend daily doses, they are referring to the RDA, the "minimum wage" needed, and not the dose needed for optimal health.
June 01, 2008

Great book

Great book with lot's of great info on Vitamins. This book really helped me figure out how much to take and which ones to focus on.
February 24, 2008

Old favorite in a new edition

What's nice is that she gives you sample recommendations, so you don't end up feeling totally at sea. And you can take what looks like the right amount, not too many pills. Even so, if you are in bad shape, it's likely to be a couple of small handfuls.

It's possible that I am alive because of the earlier edition, after environmentally caused asthma made me really quite ill for a while. But good grief, I hate taking that many pills. And I was fairly smart about buying combinations.

February 09, 2008

Real Vitamin & Mineral Book

I have extensively used a past edition of this book. Am now happy to have updated version. I find this info very helpful when planning my approach to wellness needs. The book arrived in good shape and in a timely manner.
January 29, 2008

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