Nutritional Supplements: Most Doctors and Nurses Take Them

Should You Be Taking Supplements, Too?

A Newswise.com press release states that a new study done by the Council for Responsible Nutrition found that 79% of doctors and 82% of nurses recommend nutritional supplements to their patients. The same study found that 72% of the doctors used supplements themselves. While 82% of nurses recommended supplements to their patients, a higher percentage of 89% used supplements themselves. The percentage for the overall population who use supplements is at 68 percent, which the study states is a total of 150 million Americans.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition is the leading trade association of the dietary supplement industry, according to their web site. The study was part of a wellness campaign called Life...Supplemented and was a Health-care Professionals Impact Study.

The study surveyed 1,177 health care professionals. Three hundred primary care doctors, three hundred and one OB/GYNs, and two hundred ninety nine other specialists participated in the survey. Two hundred seventy seven registered nurses or nurse practitioners participated in the study. The study was completed on-line in October of 2007. According to the press release, a small fee was paid to the professionals for their participation in the survey.