WASHINGTON–Eight in 10 registered dietitians said they view dietary supplements as important for maintaining health, according to new research from the “Life…supplemented” 2009 Healthcare Professionals (HCP) Impact Study.
The study shows 81 percent of registered dietitians agree most people have gaps in their diets that can be filled with vitamins and other dietary supplements. Many include themselves in this group, with 76 percent agreeing that supplement use can address their own diet gaps. Nine in 10 (96 percent) report taking supplements and recommending them to their clients (97 percent). Seven in 10 registered dietitians who recommend supplements to their clients report doing so for bone health (72 percent) and to fill nutrition gaps (69 percent).
Most registered dietitians report they take a multivitamin (84 percent); and 64 percent say they take at least one specialty supplement, such as omega-3 fish oils (47 percent), herbal or botanical supplements (46 percent) or fiber (22 percent). More than half of registered dietitians take supplements for improved bone health (58 percent) and overall health and wellness (53 percent).
However, less than one-quarter (23 percent) of registered dietitians agree their clients have a good understanding of the recommended daily intake of dietary supplements.
“Registered dietitians know people’s eating habits, and we know that people don’t always eat correctly,” says Leslie Bonci, registered dietitian, director of sports medicine nutrition for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the Center for Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and advisor to the “Life…supplemented” campaign. “A healthy diet works in concert with exercise and responsible use of supplements for a wellness lifestyle. We’re seeing registered dietitians champion these three components to overall wellness.”
Results from the 2009 “Life…supplemented” HCP Impact Study comprise three separate surveys – (300) nurse practitioners, (300) pharmacists and (300) registered dietitians. Seventy-four percent of registered dietitians taking the study identified themselves as members of the American Dietetic Association, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Margins of sampling error at a 95 percent confidence level are +/- 5.7 percentage points for each of the groups of healthcare professionals surveyed.