In 2004, 18.9 percent of Americans reported that they had taken one or more dietary supplements in the past year. (Institute of Medicine)

The global self-medication market grew 7.4 percent in 1998 – dietary supplements were the fastest growing category with a 16 percent increase. (IMS HEALTH, 1999)

Retail and non-retail sales of dietary supplement products across all distribution channels in the U.S. were $17 billion in 2000. Retail sales of dietary supplement products were approximately $11.3 billion in 2000. (The Nutrition Business Journal, 2001)

The United States leads the world in dietary supplement usage with 100.4 million Americans using vitamin and minerals every day and 37.2 million using herbal remedies regularly. (Prevention Magazine, 2000)

The most prevalent reason consumers use dietary supplements is to improve overall health and general well being. (Roper Starch Worldwide, 2001)

The average price for dietary supplements has been gradually decreasing. From July 1998 to June 1999, the average price per container decreased 9.6 percent. (The Hartman Group, 1999)

The top selling herbal supplements in the U.S. in 2000 were the three Gs: garlic, ginkgo biloba, and glucosamine. (Information Resources, 2001)

By sales, the two leading categories of supplements are "general health" and "sports/energy/ weight-loss" with $4.4 billion and $4.7 billion respectively. (The Nutrition Business Journal, 2001)

By specific condition, Americans use dietary supplements most often for menopause, followed by cough, cold, flu, or sore throat in second, and allergy or sinus conditions in third. (Roper Starch Worldwide, 2001)

Approximately 135 million hip fractures and $2.6 billion of direct medical costs could have been avoided in 1995 if hip fracture patients aged 50 or older consumed about 1,200 mg/day of supplemental calcium for 34 months. (Adrienne Bendich et al in Clinical Therapeutics, 1999)