Striking results were obtained in the study conducted by the Food Supplement and Nutrition Association to determine the change in the use of food supplements and nutritional habits of consumers during the Covid-19 period. According to the study conducted in 12 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, the rate of those who used food supplements in the last three months of 2020 increased to 60%. While the participants were most interested in vitamins D and C; There has been an increase in the number of people who follow dietitian or nutritionist on social media, and use healthy nutrition and sports applications.
The Food Supplement and Nutrition Association, which works to raise awareness of the public about food supplements and innovative approaches, carried out the third of the food supplement and nutrition research it conducted in April and May 2020 in cooperation with Nielsen in December 3. 2020 provinces in Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Bursa, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Malatya, Samsun, Trabzon, Istanbul) According to a study conducted among 12 people with the online survey method, the proportion of those using food supplements in the last third of 608% While being 2020; 3 out of 60 people stated that they use food supplements to increase their immunity from Covid-10. While 4% of the participants said they used food supplements more frequently in the last 19 months; Vitamins D and C received the most attention. The highest rate of food supplement use was in the 40-3 age group. The results of the research are as follows:
The most important motivation is to strengthen the immune system
- While the most important motivation for using food supplements is to strengthen the immune system (82%); 10 out of 4 people stated that they use food supplements to protect themselves from COVID-19.
- While 14% of the participants stated that they have regularly used food supplements for years; 1 out of every 10 people who have just started using food supplements (6 year or less) stated that they will continue to take supplements in 2021. 10 out of every 4 people stated that the frequency of using food supplements has increased.
- In the last 2020 months of 3, 10 out of 9 people who used food supplements took vitamins. D, C and multivitamins were the most consumed food supplements. Vitamins were followed by mineral and functional foods.
We make snacks with fruits and nuts
- The number of people who follow dieticians or nutritionists on social media has increased. These rates, which were 31% and 29% in the studies conducted in April and May, increased to 40%. Likewise, the rate of those who said they went to a dietician increased from 9% to 11%. To these issues Parallel to that, the use in healthy eating and exercising practices increased. 10 out of 5 participants stated that they use an application related to nutrition or sports.
- Six out of 10 participants said they thought they were eating a healthy diet in general. The proportion of those who think they eat healthy has increased in parallel with the average age. 6% of the participants stated that they had three main meals and 46% stated that they had two main meals. The feeding rate of three main meals was higher for participants over 52, compared to other age groups, at 55%. 56% of the participants stated that they made snacks; It was observed that fruit (67%) and dried nuts (74%) were generally consumed during the snack.
Food supplements are thought to be drugs
- 10 out of every 3 people stated that food supplements are medicine, and 3 stated that they are food.
- While doctors continue to be the biggest reference source for the use of food supplements with 61%; pharmacists (45%), social media (21%) and advertisements (16%) were also seen as reference sources.
- The ratio of those who said “My confidence in food supplements has increased” in the last 1 month was 34%.
Serttaş: Reminds the importance of pandemic immunity, proper nutrition and active life
Evaluating the results of the research, Samet Serttaş, President of the Food Supplement and Nutrition Association, stated that the interest in food supplements increased with the COVID-19 pandemic and said:
“According to our research, 10 out of 4 people (41%) said they used food supplements to boost their immunity from COVID-19. This rate was 25% in the study we conducted in April, and 17% in our study in May. Again, in our research, we see that the rate of those who use food supplements to increase immunity from COVID-19 has increased significantly in all demographic breakdowns, and the rate of food supplement use, which was high in women in the previous periods, was equal in women and men by the end of December. Another striking result is the increased interest in dietitians and nutritionists and various sports applications. We understand that in this period when we are confined to homes, weight problems occur and people take action against it. The pandemic period reminded all of us how important immunity, proper nutrition and active life are. Research results also show this. In the light of these results, we will continue our efforts to inform the society correctly. “
