Increased dependency on dietary supplements for calcium, vitamin B1 and vitamin C intake during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthy adults: Data from the eighth Korea national health and nutrition examination survey (2019–2020)

Objective

This study aimed to assess the data of a healthy population at the Korean national level to explore the prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) use changes and the contribution of DSs to micronutrient intake during the pandemic.

Research methods and procedures

Data from the first (2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic) and second (2020, the year that the acute pandemic caused substantial life changes) years of the eighth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were investigated using a weighted complex sample design. Conversions (supplementation/dietary intake (S/D ratio), supplementation to total intake (StT), and supplementation to reference (StR)) were presented to investigate DS dependency and demonstrate that individuals’ nutrient intake derived from DSs increased.

Results

The total adult population was 4871 and 4421 in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Among healthy adults, 64.2% took DSs in 2020, 7.2% higher than that in 2019 (P < 0.001). Among those aged 30–49 years, 70.2% used DSs in 2020, a 9.1% increase from 2019 (P = 0.015). The S/D ratio of vitamin C intake was 6.45 ± 0.95 in 2020, which was greater than that in 2019 (3.82 ± 0.47, P = 0.038). The StT of Ca intake was 7.79 ± 0.98% in 2020, which was greater than that in 2019 (4.89 ± 0.60%, P = 0.020). The StR of vitamin B₁ intake was greater in 2020 (505.01 ± 36.95%) than in 2019 (368.82 ± 29.55%, P = 0.004).

Conclusion

DS dependency greatly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and was accompanied by increased DS consumption and decreased Ca, vitamin B₁, and vitamin C intake in the healthy Korean population.