Comparison of dietary intakes and iron status of vitamin-mineral supplement users and nonusers, aged 1-19 years.

Despite widespread use of supplements, few studies have been conducted to determine if supplement users have better nutritional status. Using data from the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II), mean values of five iron status indicators (hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, transferrin saturation, erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and serum ferritin) and dietary intakes of several nutrients and food groups were compared between regular supplement users and nonusers aged 1-19 y. Users consumed more vitamin C and fruits and vegetables than nonusers in several age-sex groups. No significant differences in mean Fe status indicator values were observed except for hemoglobin for the 3-4-y olds and serum ferritin for the 5-10-y olds. In both cases, users had higher values than nonusers. In general, Fe status was not associated with supplement use but the reason cannot be identified from this survey.