Supplement use in Canada
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Just over half of 1,071 seniors (60+) participating in a telephone survey conducted in Ontario report use of natural health products, according to researchers from the Centre for Evaluation of Medicines and McMaster University. Most commonly used products were: echinacea (27%); glucosamine (26%); natural vitamin E (24%); garlic (20%); ginkgo biloba (10%); St. John's wort (5%); ginseng (5%); flax seed oil (3%); evening primrose oil (2%); devil's claw (2%) and saw palmetto (2%). Over half used more than two herbals and 8% reported taking five or more products, researchers state. Monthly expenditures on natural health products ranged from "a few cents (grew their own) to $288 (CAN)," poster notes