A Nutrition Business Journal report titled "Consumer Research in the Nutrition Industry II," concludes consumers are ill-informed about nutritional science, brands and regulations, making them easy prey for misconceptions and misinformation.

The report, a compilation of 30 consumer surveys, found 70% of American adults can be characterized as supplement users, while 4.3% of adults—or 9.6 million Americans—can be called heavy users. Heavy users average five purchases a month (about $43), while regular users, 32%, make between one and two purchases a month (about $11). Occasional users make purchases about every other month, while rare users buy once every five months.

Other interesting data generated from the report includes facts such as 36% of adults account for 82% of supplement sales. In vitamins, 14% account for 70% of sales while, in herbals, 15% account for 82% of sales. In liquid meal replacements, 2% account for 70%, while in sports, less than 1% of the population accounts for 85% of sales.