Prevalent dietary supplement use in older New Zealand men

Abstract

Aims: Because of a lack of recent data from New Zealand older men, we examined dietary supplement use in this demographic.

Methods: We surveyed men aged $gt;40 years who were participating in a trial of calcium supplementation on bone and cardiovascular outcomes.

Results: Forty-seven percent reported using at least one supplement and 30% of users took more than two different supplements. Amongst users, median monthly expenditure on these products was NZ$20 (interquartile range: $10-$45). The most common supplements used were vitamins or minerals (49%), followed by nutritional oils (22%) (including fish oils, 13%) and glucosamine/chondroitin preparations (13%). Supplements were mainly taken for reasons of non-specific prophylaxis or health maintenance (58% of reasons), although 21% of reasons cited treatment or symptom alleviation for a medical condition. Daily requirements for vitamins A, D and E were exceeded, from supplement intake alone, by 12%, 10% and 40% of supplement users respectively.

Conclusions: Many older New Zealand men spend substantial amounts of money on dietary supplements despite uncertain health benefits. Health professionals should remain alert to supplement use by their patients, including males.