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SUPPLEMENT INFO Dietary Supplement Usage Increases The latest results from an annual survey on dietary supplements reveals an alltime high for supplement usage among U.S. adults, with 76 percent reporting they consume dietary supplements. The survey, 2017 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, found that nearly nine in 10 U.S. adults have confidence in the safety, quality and effectiveness of dietary supplements overall. Additionally, 76 percent of U.S. adults perceive the dietary supplement industry as trustworthy. In terms of the types of supplements being taken, the survey found that vitamins/minerals are the most commonly consumed supplement category, with
75 percent of U.S. adults saying they have taken these in the past 12 months. The second most popular category is specialty supplements, followed by herbals/ botanicals, sports nutrition supplements and weight management supplements. Overall health/wellness benefits are the main reasons cited by supplement users for taking dietary supplements. Three in 10 consume supplements to fill nutrient gaps in their diet and similar proportions use them for energy. Of those who do not take dietary supplements, nearly half say they might consider taking supplements in the future if a doctor recommended it to them. For more information, visit www.crnusa.org.
Are you taking too much Vitamin D and too little Vitamin K2 MK7? Vitamin D is having its day in the sun. In recent years, research has associated low blood levels of the vitamin with higher risks of everything from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer to mood disorders and dementia. The findings have not gone unnoticed. Vitamin D supplements and screening tests have surged in popularity. “Vitamin D testing is one of the top Medicare lab tests performed in the United States in recent years,” says Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School. “This is really surprising for a test that is recommended for only a small subset of the population.” Unfortunately, this vitamin D trend isn’t all blue skies. Some people are overdoing it with supplements. Researchers looking at national survey data gathered between 1999 and 2014 found a 2.8 percent uptick in the number of people taking potentially unsafe amounts of vitamin D — that is, more than 4,000 international units (IU) per day, according to a research letter published in the June 20 issue of The
Lack of Vitamin K2 can cause health Lots of people don’t like vegetables. They’ll push them around their plates in an attempt to disguise the fact that barely a bite has been eaten. But leafy green vegetables are a great source of vitamin K, which is essential for your children’s health. In fact, new research suggests that a lack of vitamin K might seriously affect adolescent heart health. 20
Healthy Horizons
The study, which took place at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, found that teens who do not eat an adequate amount of vitamin K foods such as leafy green vegetables are more likely to have an enlargement of the left ventricle of the heart. Each of the subjects wore an activity monitor for seven days to
establish their exercise patterns, and they were asked to keep track of all of the foods consumed during much of this time period. In addition, echocardiography testing was performed, which provided a detailed image of the left ventricle of the heart. The participants who ate the fewest foods rich in vitamin K were