Natural Health Product Use in Canada

Abstract

Objective: To quantify patterns of Natural Health Product (NHP) use in Canada. Methods: The Food Habits of Canadians surveyed 1,543 Canadian adults using a 24-hour recall to record dietary supplements. Prevalence of use by user profile was examined. Results: Forty-six percent of women and 33% of men reported taking at least one Natural Health Product with a mean of 2.3 among users. The highest prevalence of supplement use, 57%, occurred among women aged 50-65. Supplement users were older, less likely to smoke and perceived their health as better than non-users. Among supplement users, men had higher rates of use of garlic and vitamin C while women used iron, calcium, B complex, evening primrose oil and glucosamine sulfate. Discussion: Supplement use by Canadians, at 38% for nutrients and 15% for herbal products, was similar to the rate of uses in the U.S., although differences in the reporting of types of supplements underline aspects of consumer behaviour as well as methodological issues specific to NHPs. Investigation of the use of NHPs in the healthcare setting is important given the widespread use and the potential health care consequences associated with supplement use. La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.

Self‐reported use of natural health products among rheumatology patients: A cross‐sectional survey

“…Similarly to the present study, previous studies have estimated the prevalence of NHP use among rheumatology patients as approximately 60%, which is much higher than that of the general population (Alaaeddine, Okais, Ballane, & Baddoura, ; Bruno & Ellis, ; Buchbinder et al, ; Kim & Seo, ; Singh & Levine, ; Tropmann, Johns, & Gray‐Donald, ). We further characterized the proportion of patients taking s‐NHPs, specifically, to be 36%.…”

International Perspectives on Substantiating the Efficacy of Herbal Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Through Evidence on Traditional Use

“…Based on the first inclusion criterion, the United States and Canada were included in the analysis. Overall 19% of the U.S. population and 13% to 16% of the Canadian population have been shown to use botanical products, which is similar to the percentage of the population using botanical products in EU Member States (ranging from 9.6% to 22.7%) (Barnes, Powell‐Griner, McFann, & Nahin, ; Garcia‐Alvarez et al., ; Troppmann, Johns, & Gray‐Donald, ).…”

Potential Interactions Between Pharmaceuticals and Natural Health Products in Canada

“…1 A higher estimate of 15% was reported in a telephone survey study evaluating current NHP use in Canada. 2 Large national surveys in the United States have reported similar findings, with NHP use prevalence estimates ranging from 12% to 14%. 3,4 (The use of vitamins or minerals was excluded in all of these studies.)…”