With myriad dietary supplements available in the largely unregulated market, this effort explores the value vs. the potential danger of these products.
For a teen eager to lose weight, to increase athletic ability, to stay alert while studying for exams, or perhaps just to improve health, this readable exploration of dietary supplements would be a useful offering. Goldsmith devotes considerable detail to such hot-button topics as: vitamin and mineral supplements; herbal products, both those proven moderately effective and those that are dangerous; and weight-loss and sports supplements, legal and banned. Some of the chapters begin with a brief cautionary tale: Maggie used a weight-loss product and became violently ill; a mother and daughter both took what they thought was a multi-B vitamin supplement that turned out to be laced with anabolic steroids, causing disastrous side effects. These tales provide graphic evidence of the issues presented by a wide-ranging group of products that are either untested or tested only infrequently. Information is straightforward and accurate, presented on eye-catching, blue-bordered pages and illustrated with a smattering of color photographs. Each chapter also includes advice on healthy substitutes for supplements, such as improving dietary and exercise habits. Excellent, detailed endmatter rounds out a balanced exploration of a timely topic.
Equally apt for research projects and as a single go-to source of information.
(Nonfiction. 11-18)