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 adultsor
9.6 million Americanscan 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.