Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dietary supplements consumption in Algeria

Introduction. From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for taking certain dietary supplements were launched to prevent or treat this disease. Given the novelty of the subject, there are few national or international data on their consumption by the general public. Objective. To explore changes in dietary supplement consumption before and during this pandemic. Population and methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out online using a questionnaire, among 1000 Algerian citizens. Results. The prevalence of dietary supplement consumption doubled during this crisis (29.4% before vs 63.4% after the pandemic). Overall, a significant increase was noted in vitamins minerals, trace elements, and plant supplements intake, and was respectively 24.7%, 18.4% and 9.2% before vs 58.0%, 50.0% and 26.0% during the pandemic. The major changes concerned supplements based on vitamins (Vit.) C and D, zinc, magnesium, selenium, cloves, ginger, turmeric, liquorice, and omega-3. Conclusion. Although the scientific debate about the health impact of dietary supplements is endless, their consumption continues to increase. The biggest challenge now is to standardize their indications.