Washington, Feb 7 (IANS): Contrary to popular perception, those who regularly take dietary supplements are more health conscious and have better eating habits, says research.

The study claims that dietary supplement users take these products as just one component of a larger effort to develop a healthier lifestyle.

“The evidence suggests that users of dietary supplements are seeking wellness and are consciously adopting a variety of lifestyle habits that they consider to contribute to healthy living,” said Annette Dickinson, consultant with the Washington-based Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and CRN's senior vice president Duffy MacKay.

The authors examined the data from 20 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles.

“We gained a sharper insight into the positive lifestyle choices of this large segment - one half to two-thirds - of the American population that takes supplements,” explained Dickinson.

Dietary supplement users are more likely than non-users to adopt a number of positive health-related habits such as consuming healthier diets, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy body weight and avoiding tobacco products.

Dietary supplement users typically make healthful habits part of each day, and many stick with their supplement regimen for years.

“Their supplement use doesn’t appear to be something trendy, but more of a planned strategy they maintain for the long haul,” observed MacKay.

The data indicate that, in fact, dietary supplement users make better food choices in addition to taking supplements, added the study published in Nutrition Journal.