Eureka! Institutional Repository

Dietary supplements are products intended to add further nutritional value to the daily diet. Their use depends from several factors like the sex and age. In some groups are necessary to their health conditions. However their consumption is not always beneficial, and that's proved by side effects and toxicity's effects. Researches for safe doses and safe use's duration are proceeded until today. At the EU market, the supplements that are available for use, have passed from severe test and are harmonized with the regulation of European Parliament. This senior thesis has as theme the use of dietary supplements in three Greece’s locations, Rhodes, Crete and Thessaloniki. The aim of this study is to find, how many things, the residents of these locations, know about supplements and if they use them. For this purpose, are used questionnaires, which addressed in the general population The biggest part of 1200 questionnaires are answered by women, with percentage 55,3% (664 women) and the most common range of age it was that of 21-30, the 37,9% of the sample. Results: The 55% of the population uses supplements and the most common reason seems to be the improvement of physical condition, in which we have important results. Multivitamins are the first in preference. Furthermore people seem to buy a supplement with main criteria the popularity and recognition of the producer/company. Yet a percent of 39, 5% believes that a normal and balanced diet provides the necessary nutrients with no further consumption of supplements. Conclusion: Over the half of the population that took part in our research uses supplements although less than the half claimed to know or to believe knowing the negative effects a supplement can cause. So to conclude to that, we have come to the belief that besides the extended use of supplements people do not possess the knowledge required for the correct use.