Polish students’ knowledge of dietary supplements

Abstract

Background The increasing intake of dietary supplements (DS) can be observed worldwide. These preparations are classified as a special category of foods and are subject to food law, not pharmaceutical regulations. As a result, the requirements for DS are much less restrictive than for medications. Methodology This research was conducted in a group of young Polish students of pharmacy at the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice (SUM) and of finance and accounting at the University of Economics in Katowice (UE). The survey contained questions concerning DS, such as difference to drugs, scope of use, and safety. Results The respondents answered questions about taking DS and the effects of their use. DS were used either currently or in the past by about 70% of the respondents, while about 30% of the surveyed population declared that they did not use these preparations. Women and UE students predominated among those not taking DS. Conclusion Multi-component products taken for a period of less than 3 months to supplement a deficit for a given component were used the most often. One product was taken at a time. The respondents read product information and followed the recommended doses. Over 50% of the studied population was aware of the negative effects of DS. Adverse symptoms of DS use were observed by 5% of the respondents.

Factors That Influence the Use of Dietary Supplements among the Students of Wroclaw Medical University in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In the present study, the greatest differences in the prevalence of other DS use were observed between the Polish and English Divisions. Among English Division students, 38% declared the use of other DS or OTC drugs, which is consistent with results from other countries [ 50 , 53 ], but in the Polish Division, 68% of students took DS, which is more similar to the data obtained by Miljković et al [ 38 ] or in a study by Brodziak et al [ 54 ]. It is, however, worth mentioning that many studies were performed before the COVID-19 pandemic.…”