Research Project

This project received a first-class BSc (Hons) award in Nutritional Therapy that the researcher finalised in 2010, as part of her science degree.  It involved  surveys on supplements* awareness amongst groups of adults living in the UK.  There are a lot of confusing and mixed reports about supplements and their efficacy – especially in the media.  Current EU legislation is changing and new EU directives and regulations are coming into effect in early 2010.  The objective of this research was to evaluate the general public awareness of and attitudes towards supplements and their usage and its correlations to general health awareness, age, gender, ethnicity, and educational levels. The research also aimed to identify any potential safety concerns around the current public use of supplements (e.g. why supplements are used, how or on what basis products are chosen, and if GPs or other medical professionals are informed of their usage).

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The surveys were conducted between October and December 2009 where participants are chosen randomly on high streets, railway stations and shopping centres in and around London as well as other UK cities including Reading. Online surveying was also encouraged.  Both survey outcomes of the two groups were compared and data was  correlated to frequency of supplement use and compared across various demographic and lifestyle factors.  The survey achieved a total of 246 respondents.

The results can now be found on this website!

Click here for more information.

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*Supplements here refers to ‘dietary’ or ‘food’ supplements – products taken orally that contain one or more ingredients intended to supplement one’s diet and not considered a food. Examples are multivitamins and minerals. This research includes other compounds like fish oils and herbal remedies, however excludes homeopathic remedies and ‘functional’ foods (e.g. Actimel drinks, Sports drinks, Benecol margarines, other fortified foods).