Dietary supplement consumption and COVID-19: Observational study on the Algerian population

Introduction: COVID-19 is a contagious disease declared pandemic by the WHO in 2020. Because of the link between nutritional status and the immune system, dietary supplements (DS) were a potential solution for the control and protection against COVID-19. The main objective of this study was to determine the impact of this pandemic on  the consumption of DSs. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational survey developed using a Googleforms questionnaire, disseminated on different online platforms. The questionnaire was intended for people of legal age of 18 years or older, resident in Algeria since the onset of the pandemic and having a Gmail account. The results were analyzed by SPSS software and Excel. Results: From the 2633 responses received we considered 2584 responses. Consumers of DSs during the pandemic represented 54.2% of the participants, the reasons for their consumption were mainly the reinforcement of the immune system and the complementation of the COVID-19 treatment, before the pandemic the consumption was 32.1%, the main reasons for the intake were the reinforcement of the immune system and the correction of  nutritional deficit. The DSs consumed the most during the pandemic were: Vitamin C (87.3%), zinc (81.9%), before the pandemic the DSs consumed the most were: Vitamin C (47.8%), magnesium (39.1%). Self-medication was widespread during and before the pandemic 53.9% and 54.4% respectively. 69.3% of the study sample was infected with COVID-19 and 36% of COVID-19 vaccinated and DS users declared to stop consumption after vaccination. Conclusion: Our study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the consumption of DS, where self-medication played a major role. Careful monitoring and regulation of DS use is needed.