Dietary Supplements Trends Among University Students In Turkey

Abstract

The demand for dietary supplements has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are increasingly looking for ways to maintain and improve their health, and dietary supplements are seen as a way to provide additional nutrients. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the dietary supplement habits of Turkish university students. The students' opinions were surveyed by distributing a questionnaire via e-mail and the WhatsApp program. The results showed that about half of the students avoided consuming food supplements for reasons including, cost (19.2%), unnecessary food items (13.3%), and lack of knowledge about their benefits (25.8%). The results showed that students are more likely to consume supplements for health-related reasons (18.2%) such as preventing deficiency, improving general health (30.3%), increasing energy levels, and improving performance (17.2%). 29.3% of the study participants consumed vitamin D supplements more than any other type of supplement. Vitamin B12 (20.7%) and multivitamins (16.2%) were the next most popular supplements consumed by the study participants. The study indicates that there is a need to better educate students on the importance of dietary supplements and how they can help improve their overall health.