Vitamins are popular and beneficial, and vitamin D came out the winner in 2010 as the “most used single vitamin” at 56.2% usage amongst those surveyed, and also won the “most improved” category with a 52% increase in usage since 2008.
Multivitamins are used by 70% of the population, but this amount has dropped from 72% in 2009. Fish oil wins big in the “most used dietary oil” group and is used by 75.7% of persons surveyed. This is an increase of 1.7% since 2009.
Calcium was the fourth most popular supplement, used by 55.3% of respondents, up from 51.2% last year.
Tod Cooperman, MD, President of ConsumerLab.com, said:
“We began the annual survey several years ago to direct our product testing toward supplement categories and brands of greatest interest to ConsumerLab.com members. It has evolved into an excellent barometer of the nutrition marketplace.”
So what do these top three supplements do for you?
Fish oil has been studied for treating clinical depression, anxiety, and enhancing the benefits from depression medications. Countries with the highest intake of fish in their diets are correlated with the lowest rates of depression among citizens.
Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and to prevent hypocalcemic tetany. It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis.
Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including modulation of cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and reduction of inflammation. Many genes encoding proteins that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis are modulated in part by vitamin D.
A multivitamin/mineral supplement is defined in the United States as a supplement containing 3 or more vitamins and minerals that does not include herbs, hormones, or drugs, where each vitamin and mineral is included at a dose below the tolerable upper level, as determined by the Food and Drug Board, and does not present a risk of adverse health effects. The terms multivitamin and multimineral are often used interchangeably.
Additionally, women were much more likely than men to have taken vitamin D, calcium, or probiotics. Men were more likely than women to have taken herbs and extracts, glucosamine/chondroitin, vitamin E, resveratrol, amino acids, nutrition drinks and powders, and several other supplements.
Younger adults were more likely to have used a multivitamin than older adults: 73.0% of people aged 35 to 44 used a multivitamin, compared to 67.9% of those aged 75 to 84. Younger adults were also more likely than older adults to have used amino acids, nutrition/protein drinks and powders, green tea, nutrition bars, iron, and several other supplements.
Older adults were more likely than younger adults to have used vitamin D, calcium, CoQ10, vitamin C, vitamin E, resveratrol, vitamin K, and red yeast rice. For example, 64.9% of those aged 75 to 84 used vitamin D, compared to 48% of those 35 to 44.
Where are people getting their meds? Among ten types of merchants from which people purchased their supplements, the most common was online stores, used by 46.5% of respondents, up from 44.1% in 2009 and 39.9% in 2008. The increase was offset by small declines in the use of vitamin stores, mass merchants, and direct distributors.
For the full 105 page detailed report, click HERE.
Written By Sy Kraft, B.A.