Abstract
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that nutritional deficiencies in the U.S. population vary by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, and could be as high as nearly one third of certain population groups. Based on nationally representative data in 10,698 adults from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) primarily from 2009–2012, assessments were made of race/ethnic differences in the impact of dietary supplements on nutrient intake and prevalence of inadequacies. Compared to food alone, use of any dietary supplement plus food was associated with significantly higher intakes of 14 to 16 of 19 nutrients examined in all race/ethnic groups; and significantly (p < 0.01) reduced rates of inadequacy for 8/17 nutrients examined in non-Hispanic whites, but only 3–4/17 nutrients (calcium, and vitamins A, D, and E) for other race/ethnic groups. Across race/ethnic groups an increased prevalence of intakes above the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) was seen for 1–9/13 nutrients, but all were less than 5% of the population. In conclusion, use of dietary supplements is associated with increased micronutrient intake, decreased nutrient inadequacies, and slight increases in prevalence above the UL in all race/ethnicities examined, with greater benefits among non-Hispanic whites.
Highlights
Adequate intake of essential nutrients is critical for optimal health, many Americans fail to achieve recommended nutrient intake levels
The present analysis of recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (2009–2012) data identified a range of micronutrient inadequacies among US race/ethnic population subgroups, and is the first such analysis to include
Dietary supplement use consistently contributed to increased intakes of nutrients and decreased prevalence of inadequacy by population race/ethnic subgroups
Summary
Adequate intake of essential nutrients is critical for optimal health, many Americans fail to achieve recommended nutrient intake levels. (DGA) [1] recommends consuming nutrient-dense foods as part of a healthy eating pattern and, in some cases, fortified foods and dietary supplements to help meet recommended intakes. Adequate Intakes (AIs) as age- and gender-specific nutrient intake goals [2,3]. The DGA identified potassium, dietary fiber, choline, magnesium, calcium, iron (for certain age/gender groups), and vitamins A, D, E, and C as “underconsumed nutrients”; and vitamin D, calcium, potassium and Nutrients 2017, 9, 1295; doi:10.3390/nu9121295 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients. Intake of dietary supplements has been shown to increase overall nutrient intake and decrease the prevalence of nutrient inadequacy [4]. Taking supplements is a health and lifestyle choice, and the key motivators for consumers appear to be maintenance or improvement in overall health as well as specific health benefits rather than filling nutritional gaps [5,6]. Dietary supplement consumption has increased over time in the United States [7,8] and it has been reported that about 50% adults take dietary supplements and more than 2/3rd of these use multi-vitamin multi-mineral supplements [9,10,11]
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