A growing amount of consumers are turning to natural supplements alternatively 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 insurance and well-being. While they are apprehensive of nutritional products, they value brands offering manufacturing credibility and prefer products formulated under doctor supervision.
As more consumers place priority on their health, health supplements are fast becoming a popular choice.This focus is reflected in the booming growth of the U.S. dietary supplement market, presently estimated to be valued at $24-25 billion. In spite of prevailing doubts about the integrity of health supplement manufacturers, the rising cost of recycleables and new regulations, medical supplement industry is projected to go up by 4-6% within the next year. By the year 2010 growth in the global nutraceuticals industry is projected to reach $187 billion.
In accordance with NMI’s 2007 Health & Wellness Trends Survey, the top health categories for supplements are weight loss, cardiovascular support, digestion, arthritis or joint pain relief, seasonal allergy relief, vision and eye health, and diabetes.”Customers believe in the industry. A recent study found that 34% of consumers looking to lose weight first turn to a dietary supplement as their adjunct in the battle against obesity,” says Douglas S. Kalman, director of nutrition study applied clinical research at Miami Research Associates and chair of the Nutrition in Complementary Care Dietetic Practice Group (NCC-DPG).
In accordance with 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 they take dietary supplements.”Consider these statistics by any office of Dietary Supplements:
* 31.8% of American children use dietary supplements (18 and younger).
* 47% of American men use health supplements.
* 57% of American women use dietary supplements.
The most commonly used health supplements are multivitamins and minerals (18.3%). A recent study conducted by the NCAAM, shows a listing of why people use dietary supplements, the most typical reasons are health and wellness, arthritis, memory improvement, to prevent osteoporosis, for energy, recommended by physician, friend, family or through media, for immune health, to prevent colds/influenza, so when sleep aids.Health supplements mostly 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, amino acids, etc.)
(www.snac.ucla.edu)
The top supplements utilized 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 a lot more than 20,000 products out there. Many consumers believe that health supplements can support their health to fight disease or improve health. Why are natural supplements gaining credibility?One of the reasons may be the advances in science and technology. Most credible health supplement manufacturers use strict manufacturing policies coupled with a specialist team of researchers who develop products based on evidence based scientific research.
Through clinical studies and systematic reviews scientist evaluate the health benefits and safety risks of natural supplements. It has built consumer confidence.A good example of this is omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. There’s strong evidence from epidemiologic and clinical trials indicating the intake of omega-3 fatty acid as being beneficial to people who are at risk of coronary heart disease. The American Heart Association validates this: “Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of – or who have – cardiovascular disease”Consumer fascination with health supplements is now reinforced by doctors and healthcare professionals.
A written report from CRN’s Healthcare Professionals Impact Study states that “over three-quarters of U.S. physicians (79%) and nurses (82%) recommend dietary supplements with their patients.” As health supplements receive more support from clinical trials, there will be a rise in the amount of recommendations of health supplements by healthcare professionals to their patients.
Another factor that may boost future sales may be the recent finalization of U.S. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) rules and requirements for the manufacture of health supplements and the new Adverse Event Reporting (AER) law. “The responsibility of compliance is really key for consumer confidence,” says Daniel Fabricant, vice president of scientific affairs, Natural Products Association (NPA), Washington, D.C. Natural supplements will be the future in preventive medicine. With DNA diagnostics becoming more common, and the role of nutrition against disease gaining surer footing, medical supplement industry is poised to meet the challenges into the future health industry.