Dietary Supplement Use and Dietary Intake among Adults in Westlands Constituency, Kenya

The aim of the present study was to determine the nutritional practices of adult dietary supplement users and non-users in the Westlands constituency, Nairobi County. The comparison of food consumption data was obtained using a single 24-hour dietary recall and food frequency questionnaire that was administered at the time of the harvest season (November 2019). Of the 139 adults who took part in the study, 14.4% (n= 20) took dietary supplements. Multivitamins were the common and widely used dietary supplements of 70% of dietary supplements. The main reason a majority of women took supplements was largely due to anaemia or Osteomalacia. In, contrast, the men who used supplements in this study wanted to alter the structure of the body (muscle hypertrophy), which led to the use of creatine and whey protein supplements. In contrast to Bennett’s Law, the nutritional assessment showed that 100% of the adults consumed foods belonging to the food group grains, roots, plantains and tubers. Eggs were consumed sparingly in this study and this was only by the proportion (25%) of men. The second largest group of foods consumed by 62.5% of adults was other fruits and vegetables. The average dietary diversity score given to adults in the Westlands constituency was low (3.09±1.201) and no adult scored high for dietary diversity score (6-7 food groups consumed). However, the values of nutritional diversity between dietary supplement consumers and non-consumers were not statistically significant (X2 /Likelihood ratio= 1.238, df= 1, p= 0.338). The average daily intake of calcium (mg) 134.341±103.253, folic acid (µg) 117.056±91.895 and vitamin C (mg) 34.953±41.057 were less than 50% of the recommended daily dose. While, the average daily intake of iron (mg) 8.034±5.728, magnesium (mg) 218.078±162.244 and vitamin E (mg) 10.253±12.375 was over 50% of the recommended daily dose. The nutrient uptake assessment showed that, with the exception of vitamin E, none of the adults reached the recommended daily allowance for the selected nutrients. However, the nutrient uptake for the supplement consumers in this study was slightly higher than that of the non-supplement consumers. Overall, a low prevalence of dietary supplement use and poor eating habits were observed in this study. This makes the study participants susceptible to micronutrient diseases. Therefore, public awareness of supplement use and the effects of micronutrient deficiencies due to poor eating habits are imperative. As a result, health professionals and nutritionists play a critical role in educating the general public about the importance of using nutritional supplements properly and in educating them about cost-effective ways to transition to healthier diets for better health outcomes.