The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Washington, D.C., is rolling out the third edition of its highly respected publication, “Vitamin and Mineral Safety.” This handbook, which provides valuable science-based recommendations for establishing Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for supplemental sources of these nutrients, is a trusted resource for dietary supplement and dietary ingredient manufacturers, as well as scientific bodies and regulatory policy makers worldwide.
 
According to CRN’s Jim Griffiths, vice president of scientific and international affairs, who was involved in updating the safety handbook and wrote the foreword, “Nutrition scientists and policy makers all over the world are concerned about nutrient deficiencies, or not getting enough of essential nutrients, but in well-nourished societies there is an equal concern regarding over-ingesting these nutrients at levels that may be harmful. One of the great values of this book is that it corroborates the need for scientifically based information on how much is too much. Then it evaluates that science and makes appropriate recommendations.”
 
Consumers take dietary supplements as part of their efforts to maintain their health and help prevent disease, and often go beyond RDA levels to achieve specific health benefits. The combination of dietary intakes plus supplementation raises potential concerns for over-nutrification, but science-based ULs can address those concerns. The upper limits examined in CRN’s new edition of “Vitamin and Mineral Safety” factor in dietary intake and are based on risk assessment principles, providing a sound framework for guiding consumers, formulators, and regulators and a useful reference to what are safe levels of supplemental nutrient intake.
 
The publication is being revised and updated chapter-by-chapter, re-evaluating and including the latest science. This third edition will focus on the same 28 previously evaluated nutrients: 14 vitamins, four minerals and 10 trace elements, each re-examined with the addition of appropriate new references as needed. Individual chapters will be available at no charge on CRN’s website: www.crnusa.org/safety. The first set of updated chapters now available includes: folic acid, iron, niacin, selenium and vitamin E. More will follow each month and CRN anticipates that the book will be completely updated by the end of 2013.
 
John N. Hathcock, PhD, former CRN scientist and current CRN consultant, is authoring this third edition, as well as the previous two books. He has worked in concert with CRN’s scientific staff to ensure the publication includes the latest scientific studies critical to making the evaluations and recommendations for appropriate ULs. CRN’s Duffy MacKay, ND, vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, served as editor.