Preliminary Survey on Consumption of <i>Moringa</i> Products for Nutraceutical Benefits in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The public's need for health and dietary adequacy has been the driving force for their use of Nutraceutical supplements. Moringa oleifera is one of the herbal plants promoted based on its acclaimed of its Nutraceutical benefits. However awareness and adoption are critical issues in the utilization of any product/service. This preliminary survey was conducted to examine the consumption of moringa products for nutraceutical benefits in Ilorin, Kwara state, Nigeria. One hundred adult respondents were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Binary Logistic Regression and non-parametric correlation analyses were  employed to achieve the study's objectives. The results indicated that a fairly high proportion of the respondents (48%) had used Moringa products for its claimed Nutraceutical benefits. Lack of awareness was a major barrier to the use of Moringa product: 87% of the non-users indicated lack of awareness as a reason for non-use. Educating non-users on its claimed Nutraceutical benefits led to 85% prospective adoption. However, given knowledge, the major determinant of reticence to its adoption was safety concerns, which is statistically significant (p<0.01). Hence, it is recommended that an awareness of the claimed Nutraceutical benefits of Moringa products should be increased since it could increase adoption with a consequent increase in market share. However, it is paramount that pre-clinical and clinical trials on Moringa products for claimed Nutraceutical benefits should be conducted to assure its safety and efficacy in the immediate and long term.

Keywords: Moringa products, Nutraceutical benefits, use, adoption, clinical trials.