Consumption of dietary supplements among undergraduate medical students of a medical college in West Bengal during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The role of balanced diet and adequate nutrition is an established fact for the maintenance of a healthy body. Since body's natural defense system (immunity) plays an important role in prevention of infection, the use of dietary supplements (products that provide nutrition) has been steadily increasing globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to determine the consumption of dietary supplements among the undergraduate medical students of a medical college in West Bengal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the dietary supplement intake among medical students of a medical college in West Bengal during COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the factors influencing its intake. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic details, dietary supplement consumption pattern, and reasons for its use. Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used to assess the fear of COVID-19 and its association with dietary supplement intake. SPSS v. 20 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The total number of participants was 370 out of which majority (85.1%) consumed dietary supplements. The most commonly consumed dietary supplement, vitamin, and mineral were fortified juice (36.4%), Vitamin C (24.6%), and Zinc (31.4%), respectively. About 29% reported that boosting general immunity, COVID-19 protection and healthy lifestyle are the main reasons for consumption of dietary supplement. Dietary supplements were mainly (49.5%) purchased form pharmacy. Family and friends (38.1%) were the common source of information about dietary supplements. Significant increase in dietary supplement intake during the pandemic was found among males while there was no significant association between fear of COVID-19 and intake of dietary supplements. Conclusion: In our study, 85% of the participants consumed DSs and it was significantly more among males. Vitamin C, Zinc, and fortified juice were the most frequently used DS. The common reasons for its use were boosting general immunity and protective role against COVID-19 infection. Although consumption of DS was found to be significantly more among males, there was no association between fear of COVID-19 and intake of dietary supplements.