cover image The Right Dose: How to Take Vitamins and Minerals Safely

The Right Dose: How to Take Vitamins and Minerals Safely

Patricia Hausman. Rodale Press, $24.95 (528pp) ISBN 978-0-87857-678-4

Vitamin and mineral supplements can be good for you, but taking too many can be fatal, cautions Hausman (The Calcium Bible, etc.), a nutritionist who presents here exhaustive information detailing safe doses of vitamins and minerals, their benefits and proper place in a diet. Chapters are divided by vitamin and mineral, such as B12and calcium. Hausman cites studies by medical centers and scientific institutes that illustrate the dangers of vitamin/mineral excess and combinations with particular medicines. Snippets of statements by authorities and the author's professorial tone should allay the fears of people who worry about excess and vindicate those who already supplement their diets, as well as convince readers of the importance of the topic. There is more information here than can be digested at a single reading, but the book will serve as a useful reference for lay readers and medical professionals alike. Each chapter contains lists of food that supply the particular vitamin or mineral under discussion, and peppered throughout the book are very good recipes that emphasize the various vitamin/mineral groups. 50,000 ad/promo; author tour. (March 16)