Added to the appalling record of fruit and vegetable intake among the British, it appears that the majority of the population should be taking supplements.
Recent statistics from the National Diet & Nutrition Survey, the largest dietary survey of its kind in the UK carried out by the Department of Health, show that only 14 per cent of people are eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. In addition, the majority, especially those aged 19-24, are not meeting the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) of key essential nutrients.
RNI is the amount of a nutrient that is adequate to prevent deficiencies in 97.5 per cent of the population.
The findings show that the flavour of food is more important to six out of 10 than the nutritional value of the food itself, indicating that many people may not be getting the nutrients they need from their food.
Survey findings also revealed that with 50 per cent of the population having tried food-restricting diets, or currently on a diet, a large percentage of the population is potentially restricting their intake of key essential nutrients. Think-tank the International Obesity TaskForce recently warned that Britain could see obesity levels soar up to 40 per cent or higher within a single generation unless urgent action is taken.
This escalating obesity rate means that diets grow fast in popularity. A survey last year estimated that up to 3 million people in the UK had tried the low-carbohydrate Atkins diet.
Other findings, such as the fact that seven out of 10 people boil their vegetables rather than steam them to retain the goodness, further underline the potential benefit of supplements.
Women are particularly lacking in essential minerals with more than 91 per cent, more than 74 per cent and almost 50 per cent not getting their RNI of iron (14.8mg), magnesium (270mg) or calcium (700mg) respectively.
Although slightly better than women, nearly half of men are not getting their RNI of magnesium and one in three men are not getting their RNI of zinc, which is considered to play an important role in male fertility, showed the survey.
Most worryingly, with only 4 per cent of women and no men in the 19-24 year old age group eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, which is reflective of a wider poor diet, the younger generation are at particular risk of essential nutrient deficiency.
HSIS, which is funded by the UK's leading supplement companies including The Boots Company, Peter Black Healthcare, Roche Consumer Health, RP Scherer, Seven Seas and Whitehall Laboratories, has produced a leaflet to inform consumers about the nutrients needed for optimal health.