New Survey Reveals 74 Percent of Americans are Concerned that Vitamins and Supplements are not Backed by Trustworthy Research

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to choosing the right vitamin, 74 percent of Americans are concerned that the advertised or promised benefits of vitamins and supplements are not backed by trustworthy research. As Americans begin to focus more on overall health and wellness, Life Extension®, the health solutions expert translating scientific research for over 40 years into premium, clinically studied vitamins and supplements, wants to help consumers take away the guesswork when selecting the right vitamins and supplements to maintain their whole health, self-care.

To highlight the importance of choosing the best options, a new survey conducted by Life Extension revealed there is a clear crisis in confidence with Americans when it comes to their vitamin and supplement options. While nearly all supplement users (92 percent) believe that ingredients are important when purchasing a vitamin, two-fifths (42 percent) do not research the ingredients when considering which product to choose.

"Better health and quality of life are the biggest motivators when taking vitamins and supplements, but unfortunately, many people don't know where to start and how to find a trusted resource," said Michael Smith, MD and Life Extension Education Director. "That's why at Life Extension we make it easy to find high quality, research-backed vitamins and supplements. We offer free Wellness Specialists to answer questions prior to taking a vitamin or supplement and laboratory panel testing to help personalize supplement choices."

Additional survey highlights include:

• 27 percent of Americans do not feel confident they are taking the right vitamins and supplements for their health needs and goals
• 68 percent are concerned they are spending money on vitamins and supplements that will not work
• 62 percent of supplement users are concerned they will experience negative side effects if they take the wrong supplement
• Furthermore, 26 percent do not feel confident they are taking the right dosage of vitamins

The survey found that while Americans want their vitamins to work, they are not putting in the work to find the right ones for them. Roughly three-quarters of supplement users do not research factors that determine or contribute to the overall effectiveness of the products they are spending their money on, such as third-party testing (75 percent), industry certifications (73 percent) or where the product is made (72 percent). Life Extension researches, test and retest every ingredient in all of their products, and pride themselves on their quality clinical research to substantiate ingredient benefits and the efficacy of their formulations. Constant scrutiny of published scientific findings is used to establish optimal dosages for maximum benefit.

Find out more about the Vitamin and Supplement Buyer Confidence and Knowledge Survey

Survey Methodology

These highlights present the findings of an online survey conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,500 Americans 18 years of age and older, who live in the United States and take a vitamin or supplement at least 2-3 times a week. The total sample data is nationally representative based on age, gender, ethnicity, region, household income and educational attainment. The online survey was conducted by Lucid and completed between January 28th and February 4th, 2020. The margin of error for the total sample at the 95% confidence level is +/- 2.53 percentage points.

About Life Extension®

Life Extension is the health solutions expert that is translating scientific research into everyday insights for people wanting to live their healthiest lives. For nearly 40 years, Life Extension has pursued innovative advances in health, conducting rigorous clinical trials and setting some of the most demanding standards in the industry to offer a full range of quality nutritional vitamins and supplements and blood-testing services. Life Extension's Wellness Specialists provide personalized counsel to help customers choose the right products for optimal health, nutrition and personal care. To learn more, visit LifeExtension.com. 

SOURCE Life Extension

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