Washington, D.C., October 11, 2016—In response to a new study, “Trends in Dietary Supplement Use Among US Adults From 1999–2012” published today in JAMA1, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, issued the following statement:
Statement by Judy Blatman, senior vice president, communications, CRN:
“This new study on dietary supplement trends demonstrates that supplement use is a mainstream and consistent component of consumers’ health care practices, with the majority of U.S. adults indicating they take them. We’re encouraged by the authors’ interest and thoughtful assessment of dietary supplement usage, and are further encouraged that the results show the same steady interest by consumers that we’ve seen in our own market research surveys.
Conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs since 2000, CRN sponsors an annual survey of 2,000 American adults, and since the survey began, the results have consistently indicated that approximately two-thirds of respondents take dietary supplements, with that percentage specifically steady at 68 percent for the last four years, and a slight uptick in the most recent annual survey to be released later this month. The new JAMA study identified supplement usage at 52 percent, but the difference in usage compared to CRN’s surveys is likely based on the differences in the surveys’ versus the study’s design, with both results having validity. The JAMA study looked at the past 30 days’ usage, while CRN’s surveys asked consumers to identify themselves as a regular, seasonal, or occasional user, past user, or non-user, which may be a more practical reflection of how consumers view their supplement use.
According to both the JAMA study and the CRN surveys, the multivitamin is the most popular dietary supplement product. CRN’s research shows multivitamin usage as steady since 2012, and slightly up from 2011. The multivitamin is an affordable, safe, and convenient way for consumers to fill those nutrient gaps that other government research has shown exist.”
1 Kantor ED, et al. Trends in Dietary Supplement Use Among US Adults From 1999-2012. JAMA 2016;316(14):1464-1474.
Note to Editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 150+ dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements and food in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org. Follow us on Twitter @crn_supplements and @wannabewell and on Facebook.