Dietary Supplement Use Is Common In U.S., National Surveys Confirm

Data from U.S. health and nutrition surveys has found a significant increase in the use of dietary supplements among adults over the last two decades. According to the surveys, more than 40 percent of American adults were using dietary supplements such as multivitamins, calcium, vitamin D and folic acid from 1988 to 1994. The number increased to more than 50 percent in the years 2003 to 2006, with multivitamins being the most prevalent supplement. In that same time period, 61 percent of women aged 60 and over were taking a calcium supplement, up from 28 percent in 1988 to 1994. Intake of folic acid supplements did not increase among childbearing age women: folic acid is widely available in vegetables, beans and legumes, and in processed foods fortified with folate.