Book excerpt: Written by one of the foremost experts on sports nutrition and performance, A Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplements takes a critical look at the dietary supplement industry. With an estimated 60 percent of adult Americans using dietary supplements every day, the need for a thorough examination of the hundreds of products on the market is long overdue. This comprehensive guide (Selected as an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice Magazine) presents straightforward analysis from a consumer's perspective, giving you the facts on more than 140 supplements and information on which supplements work (and which don't!) for a wide range of health conditions—from preventing cancer and heart disease to fighting diabetes and depression. United States Department of Agriculture surveys show that more than 70 percent of Americans fail to achieve daily recommended levels for many vitamins and minerals. With today's emphasis on fitness, millions are investing their money and health in quick-fix solutions-supplements promoted as cure-alls to right nutritional wrongs, lower the likelihood of disease, and work dietary miracles. A Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplements presents a more realistic view of supplements as neither miracle cure nor nutritional sham, but as consumer products to be accepted or rejected based on scientific fact, not fitness fantasy. A Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplements looks at the pros and cons of dietary supplements in the areas of: weight loss bones and joints energy, brain, and mood heart, eye, and gastrointestinal health male and female health cancer, diabetes, and the immune system sports and ergogenic aids In addition, the book presents an overview of the dietary supplement industry and the regulations that govern it and looks at the process for developing new products. Designed to cut through the confusion surrounding dietary supplements, A Guide to Understanding Dietary Supplemens is an invaluable resource for students, educators and professionals who deal with nutrition, exercise, physical education, nursing, and anyone else interested in health and fitness.