Sales of dietary supplements are on the rise in Bahrain, especially among females aged 18 to 30, with consumers more focused than ever on a healthy lifestyle, according to a study.
The two-month survey, ‘Prevalence of Food Supplements use among adults in Bahrain’, was conducted by former Bahrain University pharmacy programme associate professor Dr Mahmood Alqallaf.
The respondents included 501 adults – males and non-pregnant females – who take food supplements.
“Most respondents believed that dietary supplements prevented common illnesses,” said Dr Alqallaf. “However, while some vitamins may slightly reduce the chance of cancer, they do not prevent heart diseases.
“The study was done to assess the popularity of supplements and how aware people are about the complications that could arise from their use.”
The study found that 271 respondents suffered from chronic diseases, with 67 of them (about 13.4 per cent) noting that they suffered from hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
Other common ailments included sickle cell disease (39 people), asthma (33) and diabetes (27). Other conditions included bone disease, liver disease, thyroid disorder, psychiatric disease, neurological disease and kidney disease.
Only 79 people (15.8pc) said they were using medications for their chronic illnesses.
In terms of demographics, the majority of users (about 376) were female, 300 were aged 18 to 30 and 475 were Bahrainis.
A vast majority of respondents, 424 (about 84.6pc), said they were non-smokers.
The most common supplement used by Bahrainis, especially women, was vitamin D (62.5pc), followed by multivitamins (58.3pc) and vitamin C (38.7pc). Iron, calcium and zinc were other commonly used supplements.
When asked for the reasons, 249 respondents (49.7pc) said it was to boost their immunity, 248 (49.5pc) said it was for joint pain and 171 women (about 34.1pc) said it was for beauty and cosmetic purposes.
Other reasons stated were: boost athletic performance, cardiac health purposes, mental health, to aid sleep and weight loss, improve eye health and boost health during menopause.
Most respondents, 115 people (23pc), said that the supplements were recommended to them by physicians, while 114 (22.8pc) said they were informed about them through family and friends.
Dr Alqallaf pointed out that respondents believed that the supplements are safe and effective because they were ‘just food’.
“To make matters worse, too many were either self-medicating or purchasing their supplies from online sites, which is risky, especially when they do not have sufficient knowledge of the supplements.
“As a result, some of them (about 20pc) were experiencing side effects with constipation, stomach ache and nausea being the most common.
“Other side effects reported were diarrhoea, headache, palpitation, sleep problems, fatigue, rash, blood pressure and muscle ache.
“And yet less than half (43.5pc) of the users experiencing side effects said that they had stopped the supplements, and even less (13pc) went to the hospital. In fact, only one person stated that they reported the effects to the National Health Regulatory Authority.”
Dr Alqallaf’s advice: “Avoid using supplements unless necessary; instead eat more vitamin-rich food to protect your health.”
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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