Almost a half of the participants (48.9%) were at the age of somewhere between 20 and 39 years. 43.1% of the participants' age was between 40 and 59 years. The ones whose age was above 60 years is 8%. And, the BMI for all of these peoples was within the normal borders. According to the data provided by NHANES 1999-2000 Report, multivitamin-mineral supplement is mostly consumed by those who are either between the ages of 40 and 59 years, or above 60 years
9. The findings of this study draw a parallel line with that of the NHANES 1999-2000 Report.
As this study puts forward, each person uses more than one type of nutritional support product. There can be found no difference between two genders in terms of consuming the following products of nutritional support: multi-vitamin tablets, antioxidants, herbal and dietary products, and mineral (p>0.05). When it comes to using sporting products and vitamin, this study found out a telling difference between genders related to the consumption level these said products (p<0.05). As this survey indicates, female participants favored the former product (vitamin) more that male participants did. On the other side, the level of sporting products' consumption among male was much higher than it was among female. As a research that aimed at analyzing the female behavior (between 12 and 49 years) in regard of using nutritional support products brings it to the day light, female tend to consume Vitamin A, B6, B12 and Vitamin C, folic acid, iron, zinc less than what is necessary, and thus need supplement 10. According to the scientific results of yet another study, which conducted a survey with 680 students continuing their higher education within four different universities, 47% of female students and 50.7% of male students have been using nutritional supplements. The ones, the same study suggests, who uses the iron supplements form the 28.9% of male populace, and 32.4% of female populace 11. Within another research over the students that make regular exercises, 28% of 328 students were found to have used creatine 12. A research made in the US by incorporating 1539 individuals in the surveys found out: from the year of 1990 to 1997, the ratio of 33.8% for those who used herbal products and some other products of nutritional support climbed up to a 42.1% 13.
Within a different study that analyzed 319 participants over the age of 60 years, as the 72.7% of them were female, 86% of these 319 participants were found to have taken ‘a' supplement. Among the types of support products that were used most extensively by the participants, come first the multivitamin, mineral tablets, calcium, the Vitamins of C, D, E, fish oil, and glucosamine 1. As a result of the wide-spread use of nutritional support products among the consumers. And this study results similar with another study.
As one of the findings this study put in place, the average amount of time in which the participants said to have used supplementary products was 34.0±52.2 for per month, and 2.1±1.4 for per day. The other study, 47% of adult supplement users took just one supplement; 55% of female and 63% of adults aged 60 years took more than one 14. According to the results of a different study, which included 18.346 female, the rate of femalewho used 2-3 nutritional support products was 26% in 1986, but reached to a rate of 38% by the year of 2004. Each year in the United States, over $20 billion is spent on dietary supplements, a significant proportion of which are marketed as weight-loss and athletic-performance-enhancement products 15. The rate of those who did not use any supplement decreased from 35.5% to 14.6 within the same period of time 16.
Forty-four and half percent of the participants reported to have used nutritional support products as results of their own free will. Twenty-five and half percent of these participants was obviously following the recommendation of a doctor in starting to use supplements. Only 16.8% of all participants was convinced by a company official to start supplements. Finally, the rate for those who begin to take supplementary products under the influence of their friends was 10.2%. When 130 individuals (75 male and 55 female) doing exercises on regular base, were asked about their major sources of information in regard of the use of nutritional support products; 58% of them left the question unanswered, 17% of them pointed out their couch as the main source of information, 13% of the respondents said to have been informed by a dietician, 21% of them apparently turned to their friend form the team for relevant information, and the remaining 10% acquired information from various journals and periodicals 17. Within a separate study, the participants directed the question of the main incentives that drove respondents to commence on using supplements. The respondents were apparently motivated by the causes of recovering their poor health conditions or preventing possible diseases. In certain cases, they even failed to point out a descent impulse by which they began to use supplements. If there was anyone who recommended them to use supplements, they were generally doctors. But also, there some other participants who said to have taken advice for friends or some other type of medical expert 1.
Within another research that was purposed to investigate the major causes for supplements usage among the female athletes, the ones who pursued a friendly advice were as big as %48. A portion them (31%) used these supplements with the view of remedying their diseases. The couches were the critical factor in persuading 29% of athletes. Twenty five percent of of them were influenced by a nurse or dietician. Another 25% was holding the advice of doctor in using the products of nutritional support. Twenty-four percent of them began to use supplements in a bid to complete their insufficient diet. To boost the performance among the female athletes was the major drive for a 19%. Seventeen percent of them saw a merit in using nutritional support products as means of keeping diseases away. Finally, a small percentage of them (7%) turned to supplements so as to build a muscular body. As for the male athletes, 43% employed supplements to better their level of performance. Tirty-six percent of them were trying to achieve adding more muscles in using supplements. Family and friends were the major source of inspiration for a 36% to use support products. Twenty-nine percent of them used supplements to gain more power. The couch was prominent source for male athletes to commence on using supplements (25%). The recommendation of a nurse or dietician convinced 22% of athletes to use nutritional support products. However, a recommendation coming from a doctor was needed only 5% of male athletes to start using supplements. Finally, 18% of them to beat their diseases, and 14% of them to escape from any diseases, began to use the products of nutritional support 18. For those who merely exercise, apart from those athletes who professionally practice sport, the main cause of taking supplement was to build up additional muscles or increase durability 5.
Within a different research involving 51 female between the ages of 25 and 45 years, the main incentives to take supplements were as follows: 60.8 for protection against diseases, 54.9% for acquiring more energy, 31.4% for following a friend's advice, 2.5% for healing diseases 18. Extracting the finding in common among all these researches, male tend to use nutritional support products to obtain more mass of muscle and a better performance; while female rather use these products for the purpose of removing diseases and increasing the immunity system of their metabolism. And, consequently, this study joins them in many aspects of using supplementary products.
When one examines the link between the educational and informational background of individuals and the way they use the products of nutritional support, this link appears to be quite weak and a statistically insignificant (p>0.05). When it comes to a possible tie between genders a use of supplement, a correlation of low significance could found only for the question of “all herbal products are harmless” (p<0.05).
The participants' nutritional support products expense is difference (10-500 TL/month). According to a different research, 28% of 51 female has been expending monthly 10 dollars for support products, while 20% of them spent more than four times of this amount (more than 40 dollars) within each month 18.
At this study, the levels of education differing among the participants, as a factor within the use of nutritional support products not significant difference (p>0.05). A other study, significant age group, and educational status related to supplement use for older male were smoking status, and vegetarian status were significant factors for female 19.
Within a research that females using supplementary product more than four times in a single month, 60.8% of them was found to have been buying support products from pharmacy, 59.8% from particular places known for selling nutritional support products, 35.3% of them chose to buy them from stores 18. Results have many joint findings that this study also tries to prove. On a separate note, most of the consumers purchase the supplements they use from reliable places, which should be deemed as a pleasing finding.
When the question of “what kind effect you think the supplementary products have over the health conditions,” 67.9% of respondents said to have felt much, while 9.5% was uncertain about the impact of the products. 9 respondents had a negative view of these products' effects. They created side-effects in their regard. Three of them were maintained to have produced allergic reactions. Three of them were reported to have increased appetite. Another two gave rise to the intestine problem. Finally one of them was about a worsened hypertension. In regard of a separate research, which lasted for five years of monitoring and included 161 808 female who were just within their post menopause period, for a 41.5% of these female who regularly used multivitamin tablets, the risk of coronary-heart diseases were observed to have diminished within the rest of their life span 20. For 41 female, whose BMI was higher that what was considered to be an indication of health, was recommended to start taking 40mg/day ephedra, 100 mg/day caffeine along with minerals, vitamin and any supplement that comprises of n-3. Within the group that regularly used supplements, the loss of weight and the decrease within the values of blood, glucose and cholesterol were greater in comparison with the control group 21. In most of the researches, it was determined; antioxidants are beneficial in preventing the emergence and the spread of cancer and tumor; creatine may really help boost the performance during the exercises; ginseng can effectively recover human memory 22, 23.
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