That Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements 2011-12 Consumer Edition by Lyle MacWilliam is a helpful resource for learning how to evaluate nutritional supplements and how they can improve optimal health, disease prevention, and anti-aging defenses. The book is an abridged edition of the Comparative Guide 4th Professional Edition, which is more useful for readers without a background in nutrition or life sciences.
Lyle MacWilliam, MSc, FP is President of Nutrisearch Corp., a Canadian company serving the natural products industry. He is a former Member of Parliament and a member of the Legislative Assembly for British Columbia. Mr. MacWilliam has served as a consultant to a number of Canadian government health agencies.
In this edition, over 1600 dietary supplements from the United States and Canada have been scientifically evaluated and compared, with each product being evaluated against 18 critical health-promoting criteria.
I found the Comparative Guide to be an excellent source of information considering the various scientific reviews of dietary supplements for this book. The guide contains comparative reviews of many popular brands of dietary supplements, including those sold in drugstores and health food stores, with other lesser known brands not available through such locations.
What I liked most about this issue are the two chapters on the brief history of vitamin D and New Discoveries, the latest scientific findings on vitamin D. There is an excellent summary of the overwhelming body of research supporting the beneficial effects of vitamin D confirm disease prevention, strengthen immunity and strengthen bones. Some of the issues raised by Mr. MacWilliam are: vitamin D and cancer, vitamin D and heart disease, vitamin D and immune system support, and how much is enough?
Mr. MacWilliam makes a compelling argument that vitamin D deficiency contributes to many chronic and degenerative health conditions. He wrote, “Despite the rapid advances in our knowledge of vitamin D, chronic insufficiency of this essential nutrient remains the most unrecognized and misdiagnosed dietary deficiency as insufficient to solve the problem.”
Although the recommended daily allowance for vitamin D has been raised to 600 international units per day, there are many experts who believe it should be even higher. While the best way to get vitamin D is still the sun, according to Mr Macwilliam, anyone living outside the tropics or living mostly indoors needs to supplement for health reasons.
I recommend this guide as an excellent resource for anyone interested in the science of supplementation.
Thanks to Deborah F Gorman
