These are the most popular vitamins in Australia. Here’s what the experts say

In her role as program director of nutrition and food sciences at the University of South Australia, Evangeline Mantzioris sometimes lectures pharmacy students.

She once asked them what they might recommend if someone walked into their pharmacy and said they were tired.

“They said, ‘We’d suggest iron’,” Mantzioris recalls. “I said: ‘If someone comes in and says they’ve got a headache, would you give them antihypertensives?’ They said, ‘No, no, we’d send them to the doctor first.’ I said, ‘Well, what’s the difference?’”

Along with the perception they are “natural”, the less stringent regulation of vitamins and supplements creates a false sense of security among consumers, says accredited practising dietitian and nutrition researcher Danielle Shine. Unlike medicines, we tend to think they are “safe” to take. But that’s not always the case.

Still, there are times people need to supplement their diet (for instance, topping up folic acid during pregnancy) or when they simply choose to.

“How we absorb and process nutrients from our diet depends on a range of factors, including age, alcohol and tobacco use, health conditions, medications and genetics,” says associate professor Dr Joanna Harnett from the University of Sydney’s school of pharmacy.

“While ideally a balanced diet should be the primary and natural source of nutrients, supplementation may be necessary to address increased needs or deficiencies related to these factors.”

By some estimates, up to 70 per cent of Australians (mostly women) use vitamins and supplements. What do the experts have to say about the most popular supplements we consume?

Here’s your quick guide to the top five.

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