Dietary supplement use increased during the pandemic, says new CRN consumer survey

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Topline results of a COVID-19-focused consumer survey funded by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, D.C.) and fielded by Ipsos (Paris, France), found that the use of dietary supplements has increased dramatically following the pandemic. Results showed that 43% of supplement users changed their supplement routines since the pandemic began, with 91% of those users reporting an increase in their supplement intake, which includes adding new supplements to an existing routine (46%), taking the same supplements more regularly (25%), or increasing doses (22%).

“As consumers continue to confront the devastating public health effects of COVID-19, Americans are focused more than ever on their overall health and well-being,” said Brian Wommack, senior vice president, communications, CRN, in a press release. “As evidenced in the survey, dietary supplements continue to play a critical role in the lives of most Americans, and even more so in light of the ongoing health crisis. More than three quarters of Americans report taking dietary supplements and the overwhelming majority of supplement users, 83 percent, believe these products play an important role in helping to support health and wellness during COVID-19.”

Among the reasons for increasing supplement usage, immune support (57%) and health/wellness benefits (53%) were the most commonly cited. Of specific ingredients, multivitamin (59%), vitamin C (44%), and vitamin D (37%) saw the biggest boost.

“CRN and Ipsos’ recent survey demonstrates that in light of the pandemic, most supplement users believe it is important that they continue incorporating dietary supplements into their lifestyle (88 percent), with many supplement users actually increasing their intake of dietary supplements,” said Chris Jackson, senior vice president, public affairs, Ipsos, in a press release. “The data not only show increases in supplement intake throughout the pandemic, but point to sustained usage in the future as nearly all supplement users who changed their regimen (98 percent) indicate that they are likely to continue with their current dietary supplement routine moving forward. This data point, paired with supplement users’ sustained engagement in healthy lifestyle habits, suggests lasting changes as consumers continue to confront this public health crisis.”