Last updated on 12-6-2025 by Elien Van Campenhout
Why do we study the types of supplements used among supplement users?
- In Belgium, dietary supplements are widely available in pharmacies, drugstores and online. Dietary supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect designed to complement a normal diet. They come in various forms, such as pills, capsules, powders, and liquids. Supplements can help correct nutritional deficiencies or support adequate nutrient intake. However, dietary supplements cannot replace a healthy and varied diet or compensate for an unhealthy diet.
- The dietary supplement market has grown in recent years, with an increasing number of individuals incorporating supplements into their daily routines. Understanding supplement consumption patterns is therefore essential to gain insight into usage trends across different population groups. While supplementation can be appropriate in certain cases, it is also frequently used without medical indication. Some individuals consume high doses that exceed recommended daily intakes, while others take supplements with no demonstrated need. Monitoring supplement use is therefore crucial to better understand intake patterns and assess potential overuse or unnecessary consumption.
How do we study it?
- Trained interviewers conducted two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls to record all foods and drinks participants consumed on the previous day. These recalls were performed in a standardised manner using a specialised computer program designed for 24-hour dietary surveys (GloboDiet®).
- The use of dietary supplements was monitored during the two 24-hour dietary recalls. Participants were asked whether they had taken any supplements on the previous day. If so, the interviewer recorded the brand and product name of the supplement.
- Using the brand and product name provided, all products were checked against their ingredient list to determine whether they met the definition of a dietary supplement. Based on their composition, the dietary supplements were further categorized into the following groups: ‘vitamins’, ‘minerals’, ‘vitamins and minerals’, ‘supplements based on fatty acids’, ‘supplements based on herb- or plant-extracts’, ‘mixed supplements’, and ‘unclassified supplements’. The group of mixed supplements contains dietary supplements that include a combination of vitamins and/or minerals and/or herb- and plant-extracts. The unclassified supplements include those that could not be categorized into one of the main groups.
KEY RESULTS
Vitamins are the most frequently used type of supplement, taken by 43% of supplement users
Vitamin D is the most commonly used supplement, taken by 75% of those who use supplements
Magnesium is the most commonly used supplement in the mineral supplement group, taken by 62% of supplement users
Type of consumed dietary supplements
Proportion of the population aged 3 years and older using dietary supplements, Belgium, 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Vitamin supplements are the most used supplements among supplement users in the population (43%)followed by vitamin and mineral supplements used by 36% of supplement users.
- 18% of the supplement users consume mineral supplements and 17% consumes an unclassified supplements that could not be categorized into one of these main groups.
- 13% uses a supplement based on herb-/plant-extractions while 7% uses a mixed supplement which can be a combination of vitamins, minerals, herb-extraction and /or fatty acids.
- Fatty acids supplements are used by 6% of the supplement users.
Top 5 most consumed dietary supplements
The top 5 most consumed dietary supplements among supplement users in the population aged 3 years and older, Belgium, 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Vitamin D is the most commonly used dietary supplement in the Belgian population. 75% of supplement users use vitamin D, 62% use magnesium and 49% use a supplement defined as others. These are the supplements that do not contain vitamins and/or minerals but also cannot be categorised in one of the previous groups.
- 36% use a mixed vitamin and mineral supplement.
- Curcuma based supplements completes the top 5 with 34% of the supplement users taking it.
Most consumed vitamin supplements
Types of most consumed vitamin supplements among supplement users in the population aged 3 years and older, Belgium: 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- 75% of the vitamin supplement users take a vitamin D supplement.
- Vitamin C supplements are used by 9% of the vitamin supplement users, while 5% use a vitamin B-complex supplement.
Most consumed mineral supplements
Types of most consumed mineral supplements among supplement users in the population aged 3 years and older, Belgium, 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Magnesium and calcium supplements are the most used mineral supplements (respectively 62% and 18%). Zinc supplements are used by 9% of the mineral supplement users.
Most consumed herb-/plant-extract based supplements
Types of most consumed herb-/plant-extract based supplements among supplement users in the population aged 3 years and older, Belgium, 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- The top three of herb/plant based supplements are supplements based on curcuma (34%), supplements based on multiherbs-/plant-extraction (33%) and echinacea based supplements (8%).
Most consumed unclassified supplements
Types of most consumed unclassified supplements among supplement users in the population aged 3 years and older, Belgium, 2022-2023
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- The largest group is “other supplements,” which includes, for example, glucosamine-based supplements. These other supplements are used by 49% of people who use unclassified supplements.
- Next are protein and amino acid-based supplements (consumed by 16% of unclassified supplement users) and probiotics (consumed by 14% of unclassified supplement users).
Please cite this page as: Sciensano. Dietary Supplements: Types of supplements used among supplement users, Food Consumption Survey 2022-2023, June 2025, Brussels, Belgium, https://www.sciensano.be/en/results-national-food-consumption-survey-2022-2023/dietary-supplements/types-supplements-used-among-supplement-users