A growing number of consumers are turning to health supplements as a substitute or addition to mainstream medicine. Top Health Products Today’s individuals are savvy and understand the benefits of the ingredients found in health supplements for good health and well-being. While they are apprehensive of nutritional products, they value brands that offer manufacturing credibility and prefer products formulated under doctor supervision.
As more consumers place priority on their health, natural supplements are fast learning to be a popular choice.This focus is reflected in the booming growth of the U.S. supplement market, presently estimated to be valued at $24-25 billion. Regardless of prevailing doubts about the integrity of product manufacturers, the rising cost of recycleables and new regulations, medical supplement industry is projected to rise by 4-6% in the next year. By the entire year 2010 growth in the global nutraceuticals industry is projected to reach $187 billion.
According to NMI’s 2007 Health & Wellness Trends Survey, the very best health categories for supplements are weight reduction, cardiovascular support, digestion, arthritis or pain relief, seasonal allergy relief, vision and eye health, and diabetes.”Customers have confidence in the industry. A recent study discovered that 34% of consumers looking to lose weight first turn to a supplement as their adjunct in the battle against obesity,” says Douglas S. Kalman, director of nutrition and applied clinical research at Miami Research Associates and chair of the Nutrition in Complementary Care Dietetic Practice Group (NCC-DPG).
According to an annual survey conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Washington, D.C. “Consumers’ use of health supplements remained fairly consistent in 2007, with 68% of American adults saying that they take dietary supplements.”Examine these statistics by any office of Dietary Supplements:
* 31.8% of American children use health supplements (18 and younger).
* 47% of American men use dietary supplements.
* 57% of American women use dietary supplements.
The most commonly used dietary supplements are multivitamins and minerals (18.3%). A recently available study conducted by the NCAAM, shows a listing of why people use health supplements, the most frequent reasons are health and wellness, arthritis, memory improvement, to avoid osteoporosis, for energy, recommended by physician, friend, family or through media, for immune health, to prevent colds/influenza, and as sleep aids.Health supplements most commonly purchased are:
* 40% vitamins
* 29% herbals & botanicals (ginkgo, echinacea, St. John’s Wort, ginseng, garlic)
* 10% sports nutrition
* 8% minerals
* 8% specialty supplements (melatonin, fish oil, proteins, etc.)
(www.snac.ucla.edu)
The top supplements used by consumers in 2007, in order of frequency are multivitamins, calcium, vitamin C, fish oil, vitamin E, antioxidants, vitamin B/B complex and omega 3s. (NMI survey).Why are Health Supplements Gaining Credibility?
There are more than 20,000 products that you can buy. Many consumers believe that health supplements can support their bodies to fight disease or improve health. Why are health supplements gaining credibility?One of the reasons may be the advances in science and technology. Most credible health supplement manufacturers use strict manufacturing policies combined with a professional team of researchers who develop products based on evidence based scientific research.
Through clinical studies and systematic reviews scientist measure the health benefits and safety risks of health supplements. It has built consumer confidence.A good example of that is omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. There’s strong evidence from epidemiologic and clinical trials indicating the consumption of omega-3 fatty acid to be beneficial to people who find themselves at risk of cardiovascular system disease. The American Heart Association validates this: “Omega-3 essential fatty acids benefit the center of healthy people, and the ones at risky of – or who’ve – cardiovascular disease”Consumer fascination with health supplements is now reinforced by doctors and healthcare professionals.
A report from CRN’s Healthcare Professionals Impact Study states that “over three-quarters of U.S. physicians (79%) and nurses (82%) recommend health supplements with their patients.” As health supplements receive more support from clinical trials, there will be a rise in the number of recommendations of health supplements by healthcare professionals with their patients.
Another factor that will boost future sales may be the recent finalization of U.S. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) rules and requirements for the manufacture of dietary supplements and the brand new Adverse Event Reporting (AER) law. “The burden of compliance is really key for consumer confidence,” says Daniel Fabricant, vice president of scientific affairs, NATURAL BASIC PRODUCTS Association (NPA), Washington, D.C. Natural supplements are the future in preventive medicine. With DNA diagnostics becoming more common, and the role of nutrition against disease gaining surer footing, the health supplement industry is poised to meet up the challenges of the future health industry.