Key finds include:
1. Use of dietary supplements by the general population is significantly associated with reporting oneself to be in better health than a year ago.
2. Diabetic supplement users report being in better health than diabetics who do not use supplements.
3. Diabetic supplement users are more likely to engage in protective health behaviors.
4. About 34% of diabetics take dietary supplements.
The full report is available online at www.supplementinfo.org. The study was conducted by the Lewin Group, a national heath care and human services consulting firm owned by Quintiles Transnational, to quantify the health status and dietary supplement use among people with diabetes. The study is based on both a focused review of the research literature and IBIDS bibliographic database1 and an analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The NHANES is an annual, nationally representative survey of approximately 7,000 individuals of all ages who are surveyed on demographic, health behavior, diet, and health status issues. The analyses were designed to determine whether diabetics who use dietary supplements differ from diabetics who do not use supplements on a variety of health and behavioral dimensions.
Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., affecting an estimated 16.7 million persons who are 20 years old and older. People with diabetes are at significantly higher risk for heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, extremity amputations and other chronic conditions. There is no cure for diabetes; diabetics must undertake lifelong efforts to manage their glucose levels and take special care of their health.