Intake of Minerals from Food Supplements in a German Population—A Nationwide Survey

Abstract

Introduction: Studies indicate that 17.9% -60% of adults in Germany and Europe regularly use food supplements. Some reports suggest that their use might be responsible for excessive nutrient intake. The purpose of this survey was to examine the quantitative mineral intakes from food supplements: whether the tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) with supplements alone, or in combination with food was exceeded was checked. Methods: The survey was carried out by the Association for Consumer Research, Nürnberg, Germany. Anonymous data of 1070 supplement users (40.8% men, 59.2% women) aged 18 -93 years were available. Three groups were examined based on dietary and supplemental mineral intakes: average, middle-high and high intake. Results: The mean number of supplements reported was 1.6 ± 1.1 products in men and 1.5 ± 0.9 products in women. The minerals most frequently consumed were magnesium, followed by calcium, zinc and selenium. The percentage of the supplement users with total intakes greater than the UL was minimal for all minerals. Supplement use in 143 cases increased the likelihood of intakes above the UL only for magnesium. Subjects particularly in the high intake group-as a worst case scenario-had intakes above the UL in the case of calcium (n = 23) and zinc (n = 34). The percentage of subjects taking several products was greater in subjects exceeding the UL than in those below (P < 0.001). Multiple use was seen significantly more often in men than in women (P < 0.01). Conclusions: In this survey, supplement use was generally not associated with excessive intake. Supplement use resulted in intakes above the UL in only a few cases relating to magnesium, calcium and zinc. This applies more often to elderly subjects and particularly to those who already have a high mineral intake from food in the model calculation.

Dietary Manganese Exposure in the Adult Population in Germany—What Does it Mean in Relation to Health Risks?

“…A consumer survey recently conducted in Germany showed that just 2.5% of the questioned participants were actually taking manganese supplements (value recalculated; among all supplement users, the proportion of those taking manganese supplements amounted to 15%). Nevertheless, 14% of them almost reached the upper “Adequate Intake” (AI) already with the supplement source (4 mg per day at P95) . This finding underlines that manganese supplements do not play a major role for the general population, but might lead to high intakes by certain food supplement consumers.…”

German Consumers’ Attitude towards Selenium-Biofortified Apples and Acceptance of Related Nutrition and Health Claims

“…According to a current representative study, 16.2% of the German population are supplementing their mineral intake, and 23% of this group of people are including products containing Se in the form of capsules, tablets, pills and other similar forms. Thus, about 4% of the German consumers are using Se-containing food supplements [ 49 ]. Brazil nuts are known for their high natural Se content, but are not a commonly-eaten food in Germany.…”

Influence of a Selenium Biofortification on Antioxidant Properties and Phenolic Compounds of Apples (Malus domestica)

“…Usually, the need for selenium is largely covered by animal produce, such as meat or fish. The biofortification of plant produce allows for vegetarians or vegans in particular to fulfill their needs naturally and as an alternative to food supplements [12,13]. A previous consumer survey clearly indicated that German consumers would prefer selenium-rich apples instead of food supplements for improving their selenium supply [14].…”