Dietary Supplements
and Functional Foods

I decided to submit the proposal for this book in 2002 after writing a short commissioned
article on dietary supplements for a nursing journal. This was the first time that I had given
concentrated thought to the use of supplements as a whole. The low word limit of the article
forced me to identify general concepts and principles relating to dietary supplements.
Previously, I had only considered the use of individual supplements such as fish oils or
evening primrose oil, or the use of supplements in particular circumstances such as during
pregnancy or in housebound elderly people