The possibility of excessive intake of trace elements by taking supplements: questionnaire survey on use and perception of dietary supplement

Abstract

Trace elements, such as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), cupper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) are essential elements but excess amounts of these elements are known to cause many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Some supplements of botanical or animal origin contained high concentrations of Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn and aluminium (Al). The risk of excessive intake of Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn and Al is increased by trace elements in food and in dietary supplements.

We conducted a questionnaire survey to investigate the use of dietary supplements and dietary habits in 322 young, middle-aged, and older adults. 44.2% of men and 60.6% of women subjects were using or had used supplements. The half of women over 50 years old was using supplements. Supplement users had more healthy eating habits than the non-users. 73.2% of the dietary supplement users took the supplements every day. Many current users were taking supplements of botanical or animal origin. These results suggest that the risk of excessive intake of the trace elements is caused by taking food plus botanical or animal origin supplements.