Americans Don't Make the Grade When It Comes to the ABCs of Nutrition and Multivitamins

Americans Don't Make the Grade When It Comes to the ABCs of Nutrition and
Multivitamins

Survey Reveals Majority of Individuals Do Not Know What Vitamins and Minerals
the Body Needs

RED BANK, N.J., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While the majority of
Americans believe they are very or somewhat knowledgeable about multivitamins
(67 percent), many do not know which vitamins and minerals are essential for
the body or what vitamins and minerals are responsible for specific functions
in the body, according to a survey released today by the not-for-profit
National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC). For instance, when asked
which vitamin is essential for calcium absorption in the body (vitamin D),
more than a third said they were not sure. Surprisingly, when asked to
identify vitamins and minerals that are not essential, only 44 percent
correctly recognized that arsenic -- a poison -- is not an essential nutrient.

"When it comes to ensuring people get the vitamins and minerals they need in
their daily diet, we were concerned by their lack of knowledge -- especially
among women, who are more likely to take an active role in maintaining their
family's health," says Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, RN, Executive Vice
President of NWHRC. "We want people to have the knowledge and resources to
understand what their bodies should have and to help people choose a
multivitamin that fits their nutrition and lifestyle needs if they are not
getting the right nutrients from their diet."

Only about 24 percent of people surveyed believe they get the vitamins and
minerals they need by diet alone, and, although 51 percent of the individuals
surveyed said they take a multivitamin, most of them do not know which
vitamins and minerals are essential for their bodies.

"People should know what nutrients their bodies need so they can make informed
health decisions," says Pamela Peeke, M.D, NWHRC medical advisor and
internationally recognized physician, scientist and expert in the field of
nutrition. "There are specially formulated multivitamins that have a balance
of essential nutrients at recommended levels that work together to help people
better customize their nutrition regimen to fit their health and well-being
needs."

The survey also uncovered that although 49 percent of Americans are very or
somewhat concerned about LDL or bad cholesterol, it appears that less than a
quarter (24 percent) understand that some multivitamins can help lower LDL
(bad) cholesterol. "The good news is that now there is a complete, daily
multivitamin containing phytosterols which can help lower LDL or bad
cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease and the number one killer of
American women," says Dr. Peeke.

The survey did show that women are significantly more likely to encourage
other family members to take a multivitamin -- supporting their role as the
primary caregiver in the home. When individuals are not getting the nutrients
their bodies need from diet alone, multivitamin use can help promote and
maintain good health, fill gaps in the diet and help bodies to function well.

Log on to www.healthywomen.org/multivitamins for simple nutrition tips, as
well as important information about essential nutrients and multivitamins to
help ensure that women and their families can make educated decisions about
their nutrition needs.

About the Survey Findings

Women: What They Do -- and Do Not -- Know
-- Even though women (86 percent) are more likely than men (77 percent) to say
they take an active role in maintaining their health, among those who said
they take a daily multivitamin, men are more committed vitamin takers. Men
(92 percent) are more likely than women (84 percent) to take a vitamin five to
seven days a week.
-- Women (74 percent) are more likely than men (60 percent) to say they are
very or somewhat knowledgeable about multivitamins.
-- Among vitamin takers, women (48 percent) are significantly more likely than
men (25 percent) to take a multivitamin to help decrease the risk of bone
fractures.

Vitamins and Nutrients: Not Making the Grade
-- When asked to choose (from a list) which vitamin can help maintain healthy
eyesight, only 27 percent of participants correctly identified vitamin A.
-- Only 17 percent correctly identified folic acid and 5 percent correctly
identified calcium when asked to choose which vitamins or minerals can help
maintain blood pressure already within a normal range.
-- Many Americans do not understand some of the key benefits of taking a
multivitamin: -- Only 28 percent indicated that multivitamin use can
help
maintain healthy blood pressure.
-- Less than half (47 percent) of survey participants understood
that vitamin D and calcium often are paired together for their
known health benefits.

Multivitamins and Heart Health
-- Although 49 percent of Americans are very or somewhat cholesterol
concerned, it appears that less than a quarter (24 percent) would take a
multivitamin to help lower LDL cholesterol.
-- Americans are unfamiliar with the benefits of phytosterols, a natural
ingredient derived from soybeans that can be found in a multivitamin:
-- Only 20 percent understand that phytosterols can help lower
LDL cholesterol.

About the Survey
Ipsos, a leading global survey-based market research company, conducted this
survey based on 1,009 online interviews with adults 25 to 65 years of age from
across the United States. The survey participants were randomly selected from
Ipsos' I-Say panel of more than 500,000 Internet-enabled American households.
Interviews were conducted between October 30 and November 5, 2007. The final
data are statistically weighted to reflect the regional population
distribution of the United States.

The survey assessed general knowledge regarding vitamins and nutrients, as
well as specific knowledge of how multivitamins can help maintain overall
health and reduce certain disease risks, such as heart disease.

With a sample of 1,009, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall
results are within ± 3.1 percentage points of what they would have been had
the entire population of the United States been surveyed.

About NWHRC
The not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center is the leading
independent health information source for women. NWHRC develops and
distributes up-to-date and objective women's health information based on the
latest advances in medical research and practice. NWHRC believes all women
should have access to the most trusted and reliable health information.
Information empowers women to make the best decisions to maintain and improve
their health and the health of their families.

This survey was made possible with financial support from Wyeth Consumer
Healthcare, the makers of the Centrum(R) family of products. To access more
information about the survey and multivitamins, please visit
www.healthywomen.org.

SOURCE National Women's Health Resource Center

Amber McCracken of National Women's Health Resource Center, +1-888-406-9472,
amccracken@healthywomen.org, or Deirdre Middleton, +1-202-835-8829,
deirdre.middleton@ketchum.com, for National Women's Health Resource Center