03.01.13
ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, recently completed a survey of vitamin and supplement users, which polled more than 10,000 people who take supplements, and found that CoQ10, digestive enzymes, probiotics and B vitamins were the four categories experiencing the most growth over the prior year. The percentage of respondents using those supplements rose, respectively, by 5.1, 5.0, 3.0 and 2.5 points compared to the prior year. The most popular supplements, based on the percentage of respondents using them, were fish/marine oils (71.7%), multi-vitamins (65.4%), vitamin D (55.5%), CoQ10 (54.1%), calcium (48.4%), B vitamins (44.2%) and vitamin C (41.2%), followed by 25 other common supplements. The largest declines were in the use of calcium supplements and multi-vitamins, which fell, respectively, by 2.2 and 1.7 percentage points. The majority of respondents (87%) were 45 years of age or older and female (55.5%).
According to the survey, women were much more likely than men to take supplements containing vitamin D, calcium, B vitamins, magnesium, probiotics or iron. Men were more likely than women to take CoQ10, vitamin C, herbs, glucosamine/chondroitin, other minerals (i.e., other than calcium, magnesium and iron), vitamin E, resveratrol, melatonin, amino acids, plant sterols/stanols, vitamin A/beta-carotene, SAMe, “super fruits,” sports supplements and “enhancement” supplements (which less than 1% of women indicated using, compared to more than 6% of men).
The survey uncovered other important trends, particularly regarding use of the Internet in buying supplements. Online stores were used by 45.4% of respondents, rising 2.6 percentage points over the prior year. Additionally, among the 851 different retailers from which respondents buy supplements, Amazon is the third most popular, up from tenth the prior year, thirteenth in 2010 and sixteenth in 2009.
According to the survey, women were much more likely than men to take supplements containing vitamin D, calcium, B vitamins, magnesium, probiotics or iron. Men were more likely than women to take CoQ10, vitamin C, herbs, glucosamine/chondroitin, other minerals (i.e., other than calcium, magnesium and iron), vitamin E, resveratrol, melatonin, amino acids, plant sterols/stanols, vitamin A/beta-carotene, SAMe, “super fruits,” sports supplements and “enhancement” supplements (which less than 1% of women indicated using, compared to more than 6% of men).
The survey uncovered other important trends, particularly regarding use of the Internet in buying supplements. Online stores were used by 45.4% of respondents, rising 2.6 percentage points over the prior year. Additionally, among the 851 different retailers from which respondents buy supplements, Amazon is the third most popular, up from tenth the prior year, thirteenth in 2010 and sixteenth in 2009.