The use of dietary supplements and functional foods continues to grow in popularity, and there is an increasing need for a comprehensive text book that focuses on these products, their properties and their potential health effects. This book gives a concise overview of many of the different dietary supplements and functional foods, and considers the available evidence for their role in the prevention and treatment of disease.

The author assumes limited nutritional and biochemical knowledge, and therefore many of the chapters provide detailed background relating to the particular topic. As this book is aimed at a broad audience including students and professionals in nutrition and dietetics as well as other health-related subjects, this is particularly useful.

The book opens with an overview of dietary supplements and functional foods. This gives the reader a background into the legal regulation of dietary supplements in the UK, Europe and the USA. This first chapter also discusses the rationale for food supplement use and the reasons why people consume supplements, finally considering how scientific evidence is gathered and the different experimental approaches used to test the effectiveness and safety of food supplements. One of the advantages of having a single author is that this strategic overview approach is generally applied to all subsequent chapters, making it easy for the reader to follow.

Chapter 2 focuses on the micronutrient adequacy of diets consumed in industrialised countries, paying particular attention to the micronutrient adequacy of different population groups in the UK, including children, women who are pregnant or lactating and the elderly. In Chapters 3 and 4, the author considers the individual vitamins and minerals, and discusses dietary sources, biological functions and the effects of deficiency. This leads into a discussion on available supplements and their dosage and how these compare with dietary recommendations. Again, this includes a review of the studies that have investigated the effectiveness and safety of vitamin and mineral supplementation in human subjects.

The next chapter introduces the free-radical or oxidant theory of disease and the proposed mechanisms that may be involved. This is followed by a review of the epidemiological evidence supporting a role for a diet high in antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables in reducing risk of disease, together with a critical overview of antioxidant supplementation in preventing disease and the evidence for the safety and efficacy of various antioxidant supplements.

Chapter 6 reviews the nature of fats, oils and other lipids before considering different supplements, including fish oil, evening primrose oil and flaxseed oil among others. There is again an in-depth discussion of the use of these supplements and a review of the evidence investigating the proposed health benefits.

Chapter 7 deals with those chemical compounds which are taken as dietary supplements but are not classified as vitamins, essential minerals or lipids, including glucosamine, l-carnitine and Coenzyme Q₁₀. There is a detailed discussion of the nature and function of these compounds and the general rationale for their use as dietary supplements. The next chapter focuses on natural products and extracts, many of which are regarded as herbal or traditional remedies but are marketed as dietary supplements. In general, the author has focused on those products which also have a culinary use. Again, the information provided is very up to date and includes an overview of the potential mechanisms by which these compounds may exert beneficial effects, as well as examining the evidence for their safety and efficacy.

The final chapter discusses functional foods including probiotics and prebiotics as well as the phytosterols and phyto-oestrogens. This chapter is a useful introduction to functional foods and a good starting point for further reading.

It is not possible to discuss all dietary supplements and functional foods, and the author has included an extensive reference list that is up to date and refers the reader to relevant websites for further updates and additional information. This is useful for additional information regarding the legal regulation of food supplements in the UK and Europe.

Dietary Supplements and Functional Foods is an extremely interesting and competitively priced book that is an excellent resource for nutrition students and lecturers, and indeed anyone with an interest in dietary supplements and functional foods.