Customer Reviews

A Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplements: Magic Bullets or Modern Snake Oil (Nutrition, Exercise, Sports, and Health)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Knowledgeably written by an sports nutrition and performance expert Shawn M. Talbott, A Guide To Understanding Dietary Supplements is an efficiently organized, clearly written, 713-page survey of more than 140 dietary supplements, critically evaluating which ones work and which ones don't. Summarizing the claims, theory, scientific report, safety, value, and dosage of each common supplement, A Guide To Understanding Dietary Supplements is an excellent consulting resource for physicians, pharmacists, and for interested non-specialist general readers with an interest in dietary supplements for health and fitness.

Dr. Talbott's book strikes this reader as the best available in the area of nutritional supplements. It differs from the mass of literature on this subject by being very objective and scientific. The author forms his opinion on the value of each supplement on the basis of the medical literature. Using such a perspective enables one to cut through the hype, commercial biases, and personal opinions that are the major impetus for most of the other books in this area.

Dr. Talbott has a unique gift which is the ability to write about scientific explanations for the mechanism of supplements and yet make his writing understandable to a lay audience. I have rarely before read a science book that was such a pleasure to read.

While Dr Talbott's major emphasis is on the value (or lack thereof) of each supplement he also includes much additional material that is well worth reading. Foremost among this information are other methods (not involving supplements), such as dietary manipulation, to treat obesity, joint illness, and so on. He also has 50-60 pages of introductory information that cover the general area of supplements and allow the reader an excellent overview of the topic.

There is only one criticism that I make and it leads me to give the book 4 stars rather than 5. That is the fact that the book is now 8 years old. This would be a minor concern in some areas but we are dealing here with a rapidly expanding field. The book is in need of re-editing and I sincerely hope that Dr Talbott is able to write a new edition.

If you only read one book in this topical area, make it this one.