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. 2008 Sep;23(9):1495-8.
doi: 10.1007/s11606-008-0704-z. Epub 2008 Jul 10.

Does the evidence make a difference in consumer behavior? Sales of supplements before and after publication of negative research results

Jon C Tilburt  1 , Ezekiel J Emanuel, Franklin G Miller
Affiliations

Does the evidence make a difference in consumer behavior? Sales of supplements before and after publication of negative research results

Jon C Tilburt et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2008 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To determine if the public consumption of herbs, vitamins, and supplements changes in light of emerging negative evidence.

Methods: We describe trends in annual US sales of five major supplements in temporal relationship with publication of research from three top US general medical journals published from 2001 through early 2006 and the number of news citations associated with each publication using the Lexus-Nexis database.

Results: In four of five supplements (St. John's wort, echinacea, saw palmetto, and glucosamine), there was little or no change in sales trends after publication of research results. In one instance, however, dramatic changes in sales occurred following publication of data suggesting harm from high doses of vitamin E.

Conclusion: Results reporting harm may have a greater impact on supplement consumption than those demonstrating lack of efficacy. In order for clinical trial evidence to influence public behavior, there needs to be a better understanding of the factors that influence the translation of evidence in the public.

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Conflict of interest statement

None disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual trends in sales of selected supplements in the US from 2000–2006 with dates of major negative publications.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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