MOST SOLD CATEGORIES FOOD SUPPLEMENTS IN BULGARIAN PHARMACIES - RESEARCH

The aim of this study is to investigate which are the most sold categories food supplements in Bulgarian pharmacies. The survey covers 820 pharmacies across the country. We have found that the leading category of food supplements is “Immune and digestive health” (41.5%). The second place is for the “Bone and joint health” (12.9%). The “Urology” category (consisted mainly by plant extracts) is about 7.9%. Food supplements in the “Urology” category are not only recommended by pharmacists but often are prescribed by doctors, to improve treatment of kidney stone disease, for prevention of other pathological conditions or for recurrent infections. Others important food supplements are “Nootropic” and “Hear health”. The category “Sports supplements” is about 4.9%. Food supplements in the “Weigh lost” category do not occupy leading positions (only 3%). According pharmacists the consumers of this category are mainly woman.  The obtained results demonstrated that most consumers found food supplements safe enough.