Dietary supplementation by older adults in Japan.

This study documented the prevalence and pattern of dietary supplements usage among older adults in Japan. Persons aged 55-75 years residing in middle and southern Japan were recruited and interviewed face-to-face on their use of dietary supplements. Among the 572 (355 male and 217 female) participants from 10 prefectures, 45.8% took supplements on a weekly or daily basis, the prevalence was higher for women (52.5%) than men (41.7%). Many types of miscellaneous supplements were consumed. The most popular supplement was vinegar for both men (11.0%) and women (15.2%), followed by energy drink (8.5%) for men, and multivitamin (8.5%) for men and vitamin C (8.3%) for women. The findings suggested an increasing trend of dietary supplementation by Japanese older adults when compared to previous studies.