Book Review

Vitamania: Vitamins in American culture

N Engl J Med 1997; 336:1112-1113April 10, 1997

Article

Vitamania: Vitamins in American culture
(Health and Medicine in American Society.) By Rima D. Apple. 245 pp., illustrated. New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University Press, 1996. $48 (cloth); $18.95 (paper). ISBN: 0-8135-2277-3 (cloth); 0-8135-2278-1 (paper).

Few would argue that vitamins are not important to health and well-being. Despite the leaps in knowledge that the science of nutrition has made in this century, especially as it relates to the function of vitamins, popular science has made many claims for vitamins, including “beauty building,” improved sexual prowess, improved behavior, prevention of cancer and heart disease, and a cure for the common cold. Rima D. Apple has carefully studied attitudes toward vitamins on the part of U.S. scientists, industry, federal regulatory agencies, and families in this century and shares her insights in Vitamania.

Vitamania has eight chapters, each of which details a specific aspect of vitamins in our culture. For example, Apple explores the importance of economic factors in the development of specific vitamin products and the manner in which public opinion was molded to drive corporate profits, taking into account the actual property of the vitamin. The clashes between pharmacists and grocers, pharmacists and doctors, corporate wealth and public good, and science and public opinion are discussed to demonstrate how the accumulation of wealth was used to promote the use of a nutrient. Each chapter develops a theme and discusses it in the context of a particular time. The discussions are illustrated with black-and-white photographs of shoppers, advertisements, and cartoons of the time. These illustrations add humor to the work. They also sent a chill down my spine as I realized how influential they were.

Vitamania is soundly researched and easy to read. Almost every paragraph made me stop and think about how vitamins are used and abused today. The book makes it clear how important communication with the general public is. Scientists are trained in the scientific method. But to make nutritional science effective and honest and to prevent charlatans from misusing the information, scientists must also be trained to communicate with others. Vitamania should be read by people at large as well as nutritionists and will help both groups put the many claims for vitamins in perspective.

Susan S. Baker, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425