People who take supplements are more likely to take better care of their health and look to proven natural, drug-free alternatives — such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise — to keep their hearts in top shape, a new industry survey finds.
The market research survey — conducted by Micropharma Limited, a maker of probiotic products — found more than half of supplement users are concerned about their heart health and 73 percent are interested in natural, clinically proven solutions for cholesterol reduction.
"People are looking for naturally sourced supplements that work naturally with the body's systems for balance and control," said Dr. Mitchell Jones, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Micropharma. He added the company is rolling out a new probiotic supplement, Cardioviva, in the coming months designed to complement a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle “for those consumers who want a natural solution."
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New clinical results on the benefits of Cardioviva are to be presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association next month in Los Angeles.
Among the findings of the Micropharma survey, involving 677 American supplement users:
• Nearly all (91 percent) believe their heart health can be directly affected by what they eat.
• Seventy-five percent believe overall health is affected by the health of their digestive system.
• Three-fourths of supplement users would prefer a more natural way to lower cholesterol; nearly as many said they “wish” there were a clinically proven way to reduce cholesterol that is not a prescription drug.
• More than two-thirds (67 percent) of supplement users say they worry about the side effects of taking prescription drugs to treat cholesterol.
New scientific research is increasingly finding beneficial bacteria in the gut can play a role in health and certain chronic diseases such as heart disease.