Dietary Supplement Use for Prevention
Many people who take dietary supplements are in good health. Sometimes characterized as “the worried well,” this population tends to consume healthful diets and dietary supplements and to lead healthy, active lives. While there is no evidence that people in this group rely on dietary supplements as a substitute for good dietary habits, they do believe dietary supplements provide something that may be missing from their diets or that could help them to lead longer, healthier lives.
Among people who use dietary supplements for prevention, some have a more specific agenda. Some take dietary supplements to prevent a specific disease or condition, such as a disease that runs in the family or any disease or condition that has caused the individual concern. If a woman’s mother and father died of heart disease, for example, she may use dietary supplements touted to prevent heart disease. However, many health conditions have gained popular attention through the media, and American consumers have responded with heightened awareness. A study by the American Institute for Cancer Research found that 39 percent of people surveyed said they had made changes to their diets to reduce cancer risk, and 68 percent of those reported using dietary supplements. Of the 61 percent of people who had not made changes to their diets, only 36 percent reported using dietary supplements.
Health professionals comprise another large group of dietary supplement users. Doctors, nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists tend to use dietary supplements more frequently than the general public, and they choose dietary supplements according to specific health concerns. One survey of about 4500 female physicians found that half took a multivitamin; those who were at high risk for heart disease were more likely to use antioxidants, and those with a family history of osteoporosis were nearly three times more likely to regularly use a calcium supplement. Among almost 200 cardiologists surveyed in the late 1990s, 44 percent routinely took antioxidants. Within this group, 90 percent took vitamin E, 75 percent took vitamin C, and less than half took beta-carotene. (Unfortunately, this population has not been surveyed since several widely publicized studies linked high intakes of vitamin E and beta-carotene with serious adverse events.)
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