DS quality, safety, efficacy no problem for 80 percent of Americans

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More than 80 percent of American adults are confident they are purchasing high quality, safe dietary supplements that meet their health and wellness needs.

If just vitamins and minerals were considered, 85 percent had no qualms about the safety of the supplements they consumed, the same level as last year. For herbal supplements the figure was 72 percent and 70 percent in 2007.

The on-line survey, commissioned by the Washington DC-based Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), found the number of people that classified themselves as dietary supplements users was less than in previous years – but only slightly.

This year 64 percent of respondents classified themselves as supplements users compared with 68 percent last year and 66 percent in 2006.

“We’re encouraged both that consumers who take supplements are demonstrating an interest in a wider variety of products and are more committed to a supplement regimen,”​ said CRN senior vice president of communications, Judy Blatman.

“The multivitamin remains the cornerstone product for our industry with 82 percent of supplement users taking a multivitamin, but consumers are clearly looking at the benefits of other products too, like fish oil supplements and calcium.”​

The number of regular users increased significantly, with 48 percent of respondents describing themselves as regular supplements users, up from 34 percent in 2006 and 42 percent last year.

“The self-regulatory programs that this industry is engaging in, along with emerging science that supports the value of supplements, are vital to the industry’s reputation, and to consumer confidence,”​ said CRN president and chief executive officer, Steve Mister.

“We’re gratified to see that consumer confidence in our industry’s products continues to remain strong.”​

The 2008 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs and funded by CRN. The survey involved a national sample of 2,013 adults aged 18 and older from Ipsos’ US on-line panel.

The survey has been conducted annually since 2000, with a migration from telephone to the internet beginning in 2005.

The survey was weighted to reflect the actual US adult population with an estimated margin of error of +/-2.2 percentage points.