Taking a daily vitamin tablet can influence health and well-being in a number of ways. By reducing vitamin deficiencies, individuals who take dietary supplements may be able to improve their cardiovascular health and reduce their risks of certain chronic diseases. But do doctors take supplements?

You bet they do. Recent research published in the Nutrition Journal found that 57 percent of responding cardiologists reported using dietary supplements on occasion. Experts in other fields of medicine reported even higher rates of supplementation.

Of orthopedists surveyed for the study, 73 percent said they used such products at least every once in a while, and three-quarters of dermatologists admitted to the same.

More than one-quarter of participants in each field reported taking vitamin supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids, which studies have suggested can reduce the risk of heart disease. Likewise, at least one-fifth of respondents in each category said they took herbal supplements on occasion.

Overall, at least two-thirds of experts in each specialty – and in particular, 91 percent of orthopedists – recommended the use of dietary supplements to their patients, typically as a way to improve heart health or lower cholesterol.