Diets and dietary supplements used during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates: A cross-sectional survey

INTRODUCTION: Since the beginning of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been a marked increase in the use of diets and dietary supplements (DDS) for the prevention and treatment of this emerging disease. While DDS are generally regarded as harmless, little evidence exists on the safety and efficacy of their use for COVID-19. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the pattern and determinants of DDS use among the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. DESIGN: Cross-sectional web-based survey. SETTING: Adults residing in the UAE. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (n = 2,060) residing in the UAE were recruited from databases of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs - Sharjah networks in the various Emirates. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Prevalence and determinants for the use of different DDS for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in the UAE, and sources of information for DDS use. RESULTS: The majority of participants reported using a form of the DDS understudy, with special foods being the most common (95.5%), followed by intake of citrus fruits (62.1%), supplements use (56.6%), increased water intake (50%), and herbal teas (38.4%). Only 20% of participants reported the main source of information on DDS to be health care practitioners, with the majority relying on either social media (40.4%) or family and friends (28.7%). After adjustment, female gender, older age (>40 years), and Asian ethnicities were characteristics associated with higher odds of using most of the DDS modalities and were also correlates of reporting health care practitioners as the main source of information for their DDS use. CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed widespread use of DDS for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The use of DDS in this study was mainly guided by social media with a marginal role of health care practitioners. These findings call for a more integrative approach towards DDS to ensure its proper and safe use.