Clinical Briefs
By Louis Kuritzky, MD
Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Use in the United States
Vitamin and mineral supplements (V&M) represent the third largest over-the-counter (OTC) drug category used in America, yet there are scant data to define the frequency, type, and diversity of use of this class of product. A dietary supplement is defined as "a product other than tobacco intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: a vitamin, a mineral, an herb or other botanical, an amino acid, or a dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet" (adapted from the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994). Household questionnaires were administered to almost 34,000 persons with inquiry about V&M administration.
Approximately 40% of respondents reported V&M use over the past month. In this group of products, vitamin C was the most commonly used ingredient, followed by vitamin B12, B6, niacin, thiamin, B2, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D, and folic acid. Persons with higher levels of education were more likely to take V&M, as did persons with higher income and those living in the western regions of the United States.
The dramatically high frequency of V&M use by patients suggests that clinicians might routinely inquire about habits of their patients in this sphere, lest potential toxicity go undetected.
Balluz LS, et al. Arch Fam Med 2000; 9:258-262.
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