Nutritional Supplement and Functional Food Use Among Medical Students in India

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the pattern of use of nutritional supplements (NSs) and functional foods (FFs), reasons for their use, factors influencing their use, and perception toward their use among medical students. Data were collected from 400 randomly chosen participants using a self-administered semistructured questionnaire. The most common source of information on these substances was from medical professionals (n = 140 [35%]). Multivitamins were consumed by 48 (45.3%) participants. Most common reasons stated for the use of supplements were for good health (n = 39 [36.8%]), doctor's prescription (n = 36 [34%]), and to balance a poor diet (n = 34 [32.1%]). Sixty-six (62.3%) users used NSs on a daily or more than once daily basis. In 17.9% of the users, supplements were not recommended by a doctor or a dietician. The use of NSs was significantly more among females (p < .001), participants who exercised regularly (p < .001), participants who habitually skipped breakfast (p = 0.04), those with a family history of use of these products (p < .001), and those with "poor to fair" self-rated health (p = .017). Use of FFs was associated with family history of use (p < .001) and intensity of exercise (p = .039). Participants who significantly used multiple NSs in this study were those who were vegetarians (p = .044) and those with "poor to fair" self-rated health (p = .047). Participants who used multiple FFs were female (p < .001). Only 18 (16.9%) users felt that regular use of NSs results in side effects. In multivariate analysis, family history of NS use was found to influence its usage among participants (p < 0.001). It is a matter of concern that there is lack of knowledge on NSs and FFs among medical students. Therefore, they need to learn more about the indications and the safety of prescription of these products.

Prevalence, reasons, and determinants of dietary supplements use among undergraduate female students of health and non-health colleges in a Saudi public university

“…The study by Alfawaz and colleagues in Saudi female students highlighted maintenance of healthy hairs and recovery in an illness/injury, as major reasons for use of such products [19]. Similar reasons were also reported by Nigerian and Indian students [27,28].…”

Frequency of Dietary Supplements usage in the Saudi Arabian Public and Gym Users

“…4 In contrast, another study in India showed that only 16.9% of dietary supplement users felt that regular use results in side-effects. 22 Some of the adverse effects reported included acne, constipation, bloating sensation, nausea, low appetite, change in urine color due to beta carotene, dizziness, dependency, hair loss, erectile dysfunction, hypotension, changes in bowel movements, increased blood pressure, liver damage, anxiety, tremors, hypervitaminosis, and agitation. Some of the adverse effects including diarrhea, constipation, stomachache, headache, nausea, and vomiting have been reported among Japanese adults from using dietary supplements.…”

Antioxidant and antigenotoxic effect of dairy products supplemented with red ginseng extract

“…Functional foods have been defined as foods that provide an additional physiological benefit that may prevent disease or promote health and wellbeing (Joseph, et al, 2018;Li et al, 2018). Many products, such as milk supplemented with vitamins, CLA, or omega-3, in addition to yogurt and dairy beverages enriched with probiotics, are now available in the market.…”