Gahche JJ, et al. – This research dealt with the analysis of dietary supplements (DSs) use by adults aged ≥60 y. The intent was to characterize its, identify the motivations for use, and to inspect the correlations between the use of DSs and selected demographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics. Its use was disclosed to be persistently high in the study cohort. 29% of users were reported to be taking ≥4 DSs, regularly. A high concurrent usage of them was determined with prescription medications.

Methods

• Data was cumulated from 3469 older adults aged ≥ 60 y from the 2011-2014 NHANES .
• DSs used in the past 30 d were determined through an interviewer-administered questionnaire in participants’ homes.
• The prevalence of overall DS use and specific types of DSs were found.
• This study inspected the number of DSs reported and the frequency, duration, and motivation(s) for use.
• Logistic regression models gauged the correlation between DS use and selected characteristics.

Results

• 70% of older adults in the United States reported using ≥1 DS in the past 30 d; 54% of users took 1 or 2 products, and 29% reported taking ≥4 products.
• The most frequently reported products were discovered to be multivitamin or mineral (MVM) (39%), vitamin D only (26%), and omega-3 fatty acids (22%).
• Women were reported to have used DSs almost twice as often as men [adjusted OR (aOR), 1.8; 95% CI: 1.5, 2.3).
• Those not reporting prescription medications dispalyed less likelihood of taking a DS than those reporting ≥3 prescription medications (aOR, 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.6).
• The frequent motivation reported for DS use was improvement of overall health (41%).