Which supplements do you take?
Nearly three quarters of Saga readers take a daily supplement. We reveal what's most popular, why people take them and what experts say about the evidence behind them.
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Nearly three quarters of Saga readers take a daily supplement. We reveal what's most popular, why people take them and what experts say about the evidence behind them.
In 1986, the rock band Queen asked, “Who wants to live forever?” – and it seems some of you quite fancy the idea. In our survey of 1,800 Saga customers, 73% take a daily supplement, and the most common reason is to live healthier for longer. Some take a few: one in five women aged 50-79, our most enthusiastic consumers, take 5+ different supplements, and a third take 3-4.
Men are slightly less keen: 67% take a supplement (compared to 79% of women) and are more likely to take just one. Only 7% take 5+.
Most popular is vitamin D, unsurprisingly given government advice to supplement from October to March. Next come multivitamins, taken by around one-in-three people. After that it varies by gender. Number three for women is magnesium (taken by 28%), often used to improve sleep, stress and muscle pain/cramps. Then glucosamine (25%), omega-3 fish oil (25%), vitamin B (23%), vitamin C (21%), turmeric (19%), cod liver oil (19%) and probiotics (18%).
For men, third is omega-3 fish oil (25%), followed by cod liver oil (19%), glucosamine (19%), vitamin C (17%), turmeric (16%), magnesium (16%), probiotics (15%) and vitamin B (15%). Joint stiffness and pain are clearly a concern, given the popularity of glucosamine and turmeric. Another 10% take a specialist joint supplement.
Trends have ebbed and flowed. Cod liver oil and vitamin C are mainly taken by older customers, whereas collagen and prebiotics are more popular with younger groups.
A third of women in their 50s take collagen. Newer supplements hyped up on social media are much less powerful – lion’s mane/mushroom powders, ashwagandha and creatine are taken by just 2-3%.
Not all have confidence in their supplements, either. Asked if they are of benefit, the most popular answer is “not sure, possibly” (48%). Only 37% say, “Yes, definitely.” Another 10% admit the supplements probably aren’t doing any good but they’re too afraid to give them up.
So what do the experts make of it? Professor Susan Lanham-New at the University of Surrey, who has researched supplements for years, says she only takes vitamin D in the winter and occasionally an omega-3 fish oil as she doesn’t eat fish. She explains there’s good evidence on vitamins D and B, and less convincing data on almost everything else.
“Pharma companies won’t get the licence for a drug unless they do big randomised control trials, but vitamin and mineral companies don’t have to carry out a study to sell supplements,” she points out.
In her view, magnesium isn’t yet supported by trials but there’s decent anecdotal evidence on muscle pain. Vitamin C? “Don’t bother – you get enough even with a less-than-perfect diet.” Glucosamine? “It should work in theory but the trials haven’t shown an overwhelming benefit.” Collagen and turmeric? “The jury is still out.”
Nutritionist and author Rob Hobson, who advises Healthspan, says supplements work best if they have a clear purpose like plugging a gap in your diet (omega-3 if you don’t eat fish, B12 if you’re plant-based) or plant sterols if you have high cholesterol. “There’s lots of research showing they can reduce your cholesterol a little bit, albeit not massively,’ says Hobson. “You may want to try that before committing to a statin.”
Both experts agree diet comes first. “If you really drill down, the amounts [of nutrients] that many multivitamins and minerals have in them are tiny,” says Prof Lanham-New. “You would easily get that by tweaking your diet.”
She advises running your own six-month trial when starting a supplement. “Make a note of all your symptoms and score them one to ten, and each week or fortnight score them again to see if you feel a difference,” she says. “And don’t be afraid to give them up if they’re not helping.”
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