What Types of Dietary Supplements Are Used in Korea? Data from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2005.

Yi, Hoon Ho; Park, Hyun Ah; Kang, Jae Heon; Kang, Joo Ho; Kim, Kyung Woo; Cho, Young Gyu; Song, Hye Ryoung; Lee, Jung Sun

doi:2009.30.12.934

Korean J Fam Med > Volume 30(12); 2009 > Article

Original Article

Korean Journal of Family Medicine 2009;30(12):934-943.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2009.30.12.934 Published online December 20, 2009.

What Types of Dietary Supplements Are Used in Korea? Data from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2005.

Hoon Ho Yi, Hyun Ah Park, Jae Heon Kang, Joo Ho Kang, Kyung Woo Kim, Young Gyu Cho, Hye Ryoung Song, Jung Sun Lee

¹Department of Family Medicine, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. parkhyunah@hanafos.com
²Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens, USA.

한국인은 어떤 식이보충제를 복용하고 있는가?- 2005년 국민건강영양조사를 중심으로 -

이훈호, 박현아, 강재헌, 강주호, 김경우, 조영규, 송혜령, 이정선

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Abstract

Background
Dietary supplements affect the health and disease status of Koreans. We assessed the patterns of dietary supplements use and the related factors in Korean adults from the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES). Methods: Among the subjects, 2,024 men and 2,811 women underwent all the three parts of 2005 KNHANES, which consisted the health survey, the health examination, and the nutritional survey. Reported supplements were classifi ed according to the 2008 Korea Food and Drug Administration Notification. We assessed the relationship between supplements use and socioeconomic state, health behaviors, and chronic diseases. Results: Twenty-nine percent of Korean adults was taking dietary supplements. Vitamin/mineral supplements were the most commonly taken one. Glucosamine/mucopolysaccharide, ginseng, spirulina/chlorella, omega-3, and aloe followed in listing. Supplement users were likely to be woman and middle-aged. Supplement use was associated with older, high income, with spouse, higher education, urban-living, regular exercise, non-smoker, and lower BMI. Musculoskeletal diseases were associated with supplement use. Conclusion: Dietary supplement use is prevalent in Korean adults. The supplement use was associated with some demographics characteristics, health behavior, and chronic diseases. These factors should be considered when evaluating the effi cacy of dietary supplements.

Key Words: Dietary Supplements; Health Functional Food; KNHANES; Health Behavior; Chronic Disease