Prevalence, patterns, and attitude regarding dietary supplement use in Saudi Arabia: Data from 2019

Abstract

Dietary supplements are products containing dietary elements including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, or botanicals. They can aid consumers with low dietary intake and quality, as well as those with high demands, by boosting nutritious value. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults living in Saudi Arabia aged between 18–60 years old using online self-administered questionnaire. Information regarding sociodemographic characteristics, use and type of dietary supplements, and attitude toward and patterns of dietary supplement use was collected. The chi-square test, Pearson correlations, and the independent t-test were used. In total, 531 participants (115 men and 416 women) were included. Approximately half of the participants (51.8%, n = 275) used dietary supplements. Participants who were using dietary supplements were significantly younger (29.16 ± 9.32 years), more highly educated (85.5%, n = 235), and worked in the health sector (63.7%, n = 100). Herbal supplement use was associated with older age and female sex. Single mineral supplements were used more frequently by married, female, pregnant, or breastfeeding participants and those not working in the health sector. Fatty supplements were used more frequently by participants with a higher level of education. Regarding the attitude toward dietary supplement use, women, single participants, and health care workers showed a significant positive attitude. In-depth investigation into the amount of and reasons for dietary supplement use in the health sector is required. Additionally, educating pregnant and breastfeeding women on the importance of dietary supplements is necessary.

Frequency of Vitamins and Nutritional Supplements Use among Iraqi People in Baghdad City

“…Because of their high requirements for these compounds and their susceptibilities to their deficiencies, young children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers are the populations that are most generally recognized as being prone to vitamin deficiencies [25]. The current study found that females consume more DS than males do (58%), which is approximately the same as the study that was carried out in Saudi Arabia (53.6%) [16]. However, the prevalence of use was found to be lower in Malaysia, at nearly 38% [26].…”

“…In the meantime, the vast majority of participants (73.3% of them) did not conduct any laboratory tests before or after intake of these supplements. This attitude was also documented among consumers of DS in Saudi Arabia (55% of them) [16]. When it came to the individuals who were taking vitamin D3, fewer than half of them (47.05%) carried out serum D3 evaluation tests both before and after they consumed this supplement.…”

“…Regarding the most common form of DS that people in Iraq consume, the prevalence of vitamin D3 was approximately 22.7% (Table 2). In Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of vitamin D3 use is likewise high, but at a higher frequency (60%) [16]. On the other hand, the DS that was most frequently utilized in Malaysia was vitamin C (15%) [28].…”

“…It is common knowledge that vitamin D deficiency is considered a global public health problem in a variety of age groups, particularly in people who are from the Middle East [29]. On the other hand, the types of dietary supplements that were most frequently consumed were B-complex (8%) and fish oil (8.92%) in Malaysia [26], and iron (50%) in Saudi Arabia [16]. Because of their pharmacokinetic properties, water-soluble vitamins cannot be handled for an extended period of time within the body and are rapidly eliminated through the urine.…”

“…Dietary supplements are presently utilized more frequently than ever before due to their efficacy and safety in improving general health [8][9][10]. The European Union, the United States [11][12][13][14], and the nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council [15,16] all make extensive use of DSs. Moreover, nutritional supplements are presently regarded as one of the most significant trends in the healthcare industry, which has a significant impact on the global economy [17].…”