Thorsons' Complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals (Fully Revised New 2000 Edition)

404 Pages·2000·12.133 MB·English

by  Leonard Mervyn

Thorsons Complete Guide to
Vitamins
&
Minerals
*
*
All you need to know
about Vitamins Minerals
&
»
for your Health
*
«
Leonard Mervyn

B.Sc., Ph.D.
Fully revised new edition
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BARNFIELD COLLEGE LIBRARY
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Thorsons
An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
Hammersmith. London W6 8JB
Published by Thorsons 1986
Second edition, revised and expanded, 1989
Third revised edition, 2000
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
© Leonard Mervyn, 1986,1989, 2000
Leonard Mervyn asserts the moral right to
be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 7225 3977 0
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Caledonian International Book Manufacturing Ltd. Glasgow
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
DEDICATION
This edition is dedicated to my two brilliant granddaughters Sarah Louise and Charlotte
Anne Waller, who are on the threshold of higher education and all the exciting prospects it
offers.

NOTE TO READER
Before following the self-help advice given in this book readers are earnestly urged to give
careful consideration to the nature of their particular health problem, and to consult a
competent physician if in any doubt. This book should not be regarded as a substitute for
professional medical treatment, and whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the
content, the author and the publishers cannot accept legal responsibility for any problem
arising out of the experimentation with the methods described.
EDITOR'S NOTE
This book is an international guide to vitamins and minerals. While spellings and terminol¬
ogy are chiefly British, the content applies equally to British, American, Australian and
Canadian readers.
FOREWORD
I have known and respected for more than twelve years Dr Leonard Mervyn
and his scientific judgement. His basic research on vitamin B12 is well known
to me, and I turned to the Complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals hoping for a
breath of fresh air in a subject area full of misleading overstatements and sim¬
plifications.
The reader will not be disappointed. We have here a clear, factually
expressed encyclopaedia containing as much general information as the state
of the art permits. Nutrition today has to be looked upon as dynamic science
where knowledge is changing constantly, and where even the choices we make
as to what is or is not a sensible diet have to undergo modifications as science
broadens its frontiers.
The book defines clearly those who may be at risk from vitamin or mineral
deficiency but does not suggest rashly fortifying the diet with those megadoses
which are more properly prescribed by nutritionally-qualified practitioners.
Len Mervyn's writings, like himself, are balanced and authoritative and I feel
delighted and honoured to write this short foreword. The fact that I have not so
commended any other book on this subject speaks for itself. I commend it to
all readers with the one proviso that, in a constantly changing science as is
nutrition, you will need to update yourself every two or three years in order to
make valid judgements.
It is only in this century that vitamins were identified and the importance of
minerals understood. The developing story is now that of the trace elements,
the micro-nutrients. Len Mervyn has told us much concerning these - truly a
comprehensive source of reference.
Maurice Hanssen
.
.