A survey of pharmacists recommendations for food supplements in the U.S.A. and U.K.

A survey was sent to 1,000 pharmacists in metropolitan Detroit U.S.A. (19.7% responded) and 750 pharmacists in the U.K. (57.9% responded) to assess the frequency of recommendations for health food stores, minerals, multivitamins, natural vitamins, protein supplements, Stresstabs, and weight-reduction products. Pharmacists were also asked about their five most common reasons for recommending vitamins and minerals from a list of 16 items, which included alcoholism, anaemia, arthritis, athletically active, children, colds, dieting, fatigue, feeling nervous, headaches, old age, pain, pregnancy, prophylaxis, skin problems, stress or other. About 40% of the U.S.A. community pharmacists recommended multivitamins more than five times a week compared to 28.6% of U.K. community pharmacists. Anaemia (48.6%), dieting (44.8%), alcoholism (42.3%), pregnancy (40.0%), and fatigue (36.8%) were the five most common reasons for pharmacists to recommend vitamins and minerals, this was consistent, for the most part, with the American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs report, however, a large number of pharmacists placed the non-specific symptoms of fatigue and stress in the five most common reasons for which they recommend vitamins or minerals.