Dietary Supplement Use Widespread

A new study suggests that the majority of adults in the United States use dietary supplements.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health recently analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006 to assess dietary supplement consumption in the United States.

The researchers found that 49 percent of the U.S. population, 53 percent of females and 44 percent of males, take dietary supplements. Furthermore, about 70 percent of the adult population reported taking supplements. The majority of consumers claimed supplement use was restricted to a daily multivitamin.

According to the study, dietary supplement use was highest in non-Hispanic, white adults with higher education and lowest in obese adults. Botanical supplement use was more common among older adults.

The authors concluded that dietary supplement use is widespread in the United States, and that nutrient intake from both supplements and food sources should be combined to evaluate total nutrient consumption. Additional research is necessary.

For more information about multivitamins and dietary supplements, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database.

References
Bailey RL, Gahche JJ, Lentino CV, et al. Dietary supplement use in the United States, 2003-2006. J Nutr. 2011 Feb;141(2):261-6. View Abstract
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