Poll: 60 pct. of U.S. adults take vitamins

NORTH BERGEN, N.J., June 1 (UPI) -- Most U.S. adults who take a vitamin or supplement say they mainly take it because it makes them feel more confident about their health, a survey indicates.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, conducted by Wakefield Research for The Vitamin Shoppe, indicates of those who take a vitamin or supplement, 75 percent of the respondents say they take a multivitamin regularly, while 52 percent say they take vitamin D, 49 percent say vitamin C, 45 percent say calcium, 43 percent say B vitamins, 42 percent say fish oil and 25 percent say iron.

Nearly half -- 46 percent -- started taking a vitamin based on the recommendation of an expert.

While 56 percent of those who don't have children say they take a daily vitamin or supplement, 38 percent of mothers or fathers say they take a daily vitamin and 34 percent of children take a daily vitamin.

Of those who say they do not take supplements, 43 percent say they do not need vitamins if they eat a balanced diet, 22 percent say they wouldn't remember to take them and 9 percent say vitamins are too expensive.

Sixty-five percent of women and 55 percent of men say they take a supplement. Seventy percent of men and 65 percent of women say they work out for 30 minutes or more each week.

The survey, taken March 8-14, has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.