How the experts stay healthy: supplements to take

Much of my work as a GP involves health promotion and disease prevention, so I would love nothing better than to give my patients a solution for all their ills – preferably one that kept them healthy rather than simply helping them recover more quickly when they do get ill. And that is precisely what some supplements claim they can do. But as a doctor, I like scientific evidence… So how strong is the research behind supplements, and how many of my fellow doctors are persuaded to take them?

To find out, I surveyed 100 doctors from all branches of the profession for GH. I asked them about their own supplement habits: which supplements (if any) they took and what dose, whether they had a medical reason for doing so and what scientific evidence they relied on to make their decision. The results make fascinating reading. I was surprised that more than a third – 35% of doctors in the poll – regularly take supplements, with 8% popping just one and the rest taking two or more. Topping our poll was vitamin D – taken by almost a fifth of doctors – but mentioned by many more as being needed by some groups of the population. While 16% of my colleagues opted for omega 3s, 14% of women GPs polled took herbal remedies for relief of menopausal symptoms, 10% choose a multivitamin, 9% took echinacea and 8% were fans of glucosamine. Less in favour and taken by fewer than 5% of doctors were: vitamin C, selenium, magnesium, calcium supplements, globe artichoke, milk thistle, evening primrose oil and coenzyme Q10.

So, armed with our exclusive findings, here’s the lowdown on the top five vitamins and supplements that doctors are most likely to swallow: