• Jon C Tilburt, Ezekiel J Emanuel, and Franklin G Miller.
• Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. tilburt.jon@mayo.edu
• J Gen Intern Med. 2008 Sep 1; 23 (9): 1495-8.

ObjectiveTo determine if the public consumption of herbs, vitamins, and supplements changes in light of emerging negative evidence.MethodsWe 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.ResultsIn 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.ConclusionResults 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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