Consommation de compléments alimentaires en France : profil des consommateurs et contribution à l'équilibre nutritionnel

Lack of homogeneous perception of food supplement by consumer leads to contradictory results in the surveys that tried to assess its real consuming among French people. This survey led by the Crédoc and commissioned by the syndicate of food supplement (Syndicats des compléments alimentaires [SDCA]) on the AFSSA's INCA2 survey that has been used here to determine the basis of food and food supplement's consumption. Nutritional intakes from diet and food supplements were calculated on the basis of the information provided by food diaries. Food supplements' consumers' profiles have been described through sociological characteristics and the food consumption data of the INCA2 survey. Links between food supplement's consumption, diet's profile and risk of intake's insufficiency have been confirmed. The nature of these links has been detailed. Nutritional requirements ratings (BNM) were used to determine the reference value in order to estimate the proportion of people not reaching their requirements; in some way, this is a theoretical marker of nutritional intake. In this survey, consumers of food supplements appear as a specific population in its social characteristics and thus, in its relation with diet. This survey assesses nutritional interest of food supplement when replaced in the context of individual nutritional intakes.