How Micronutrient Science Becomes Supplement Advice and What Gets Lost Along the Way
Volker Spitzer · Sacapuntas Publishing · October 2026
What the evidence shows, and what it does not.
1,000 IU vitamin D. 18 mg iron. 400 mg magnesium. The numbers on supplement labels look precise and authoritative. Few people know where they come from, and the answer changes how you read every label.
This book follows nutrition science from the research literature to the supplement aisle. The translation happens in stages: from research to recommendations, from recommendations to product doses, from the label into the body, and from the evidence into marketing. At each step, a little of the original meaning can shift.
Inside the book
- why the same 1,000 IU vitamin D capsule means something different in London, Boston and Berlin
- why recommended intakes were set for populations and say little about any one person
- why the dose on the label is not the dose the body absorbs, and how common medicines such as metformin and proton-pump inhibitors change the picture
- where micronutrients clearly matter, in pregnancy, older age, vegan diets and after bariatric surgery, and where the evidence runs thin
- how health claims are regulated, and how “contributes to normal energy metabolism” turns into “will give me more energy”
- how to judge product quality, from fish oil oxidation to adulterated products
The book closes with ten practical questions to ask before taking any supplement, a reader’s charter for everyday nutrition information, and tables comparing reference values across countries. It draws on more than 430 references.
It will not tell you what to take. It will help you ask better questions.
Who it is for
Informed consumers, pharmacists, physicians and dietitians, and people working in the supplement industry and its regulation.
Where to buy worldwide
Choose your country, then your preferred edition. The book is available in English.
United States
The retailer confirms prices, ebook access and delivery for your account and delivery address.
Show all countries and shop links
EU countries without their own Amazon bookshop are linked to an EU store. Brazil print links are US import options; New Zealand print links use the Australian store. Links checked on 20 October 2026.
Editions
| Edition | ISBN |
|---|---|
| Ebook | 9783982957500 |
| Paperback | 9783982957517 |
| Hardcover | 9783982957524 |
English · 261 pages (print) · Published 11 October 2026 · Sacapuntas Publishing, Lörrach
About the author
Dr Volker Spitzer has worked for almost four decades in micronutrient science, consumer health and regulatory science: as a professor of pharmaceutical sciences, in research and development at Roche, DSM Nutritional Products and Bayer Consumer Health, as managing director of Analyze & Realize, and as Global Vice President at IQVIA. He has authored more than ninety publications and is the founder of Sacapuntas Publishing.