High Use of Omega-3 Supplements Among Older Adults

Increasing concerns about health/disease challenges and potential ‘under-nutrition’ as the population ages has led to a surge in interest in the use of dietary supplements. The present survey was therefore conducted on 3468 older adults (60 years of age or older) to estimate the types and frequency of supplement use. The use of dietary supplements was determined via an interviewer-administered questionnaire in the participants’ homes. The NHANES is a nationally representative sample of the US civilian, non-institutionalized population as conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). It was determined that 70 % of older US adults used one or more dietary supplements in the previous month with a higher use among women (at 76 %) as compared to men (at 62 %). A somewhat greater use was employed by those over the age of 70 years. The use of omega-3 supplementation was selected by 22 % of those surveyed (20 % of men and 23 % of women). Those who reported vigorous/moderate physical activity or good-excellent health were more frequent users of omega-3 supplementation. Other frequently-reported products were multivitamin or mineral supplements (at 39 %) and vitamin D (at 26 %) with 41 % reporting supplement use to ‘improve overall health’.