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Studies Continue to Mount Linking Supplements to Disease Prevention.
WASHINGTON-- Days after a
much-publicized study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
(287, 23:3116-26, 2002) reported that vitamins may play a role in preventing
chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis, a
report has come out indicating multivitamins in addition to other supplements
protect against disease and promote health.
The 100-plus page report, The
Benefits of Nutritional Supplements, was compiled by the Council for
Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and provides an overview of more than a decade's
worth of scientifically relevant studies supporting the health benefits of
multivitamins, antioxidants, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins D, B6, B9
(folic acid) and B12. "These nutrients are the ones that we considered to be the
best developed, based on the science behind them," said Annette Dickinson,
Ph.D., vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at CRN as well as the
report's author. She said that CRN did not know beforehand about the JAMA
study, although the timing could not have been more "serendipitous."
The CRN report builds on three
previous reports conducted by the organization linking nutrients with overall
health. The series began in 1987, with CRN releasing updated reports in 1993 and
1998 as new science emerged supporting the health benefits of vitamins, minerals
and omega-3s. Dickinson said that CRN plans to update the online version of the
report in coming years as key studies emerge. "It's not unanimous, but there's
increasing recognition that supplements have a part to play in a person's diet,"
Dickinson said.
Highlights from the report include
the proposition that if childbearing women took a multivitamin with folic acid,
they could prevent the potential for neural tube defects by 70 percent.
Reportedly, more than 2,500 cases of neural tube defects could have been
prevented if the mothers had consumed adequate amounts of folic acid (400
mcg/d).
In addition, consistent use of
multivitamin and -mineral supplements by the elderly could improve immune
function and reduce the risk for infectious disease. As many as 60 percent of
the elderly population may have dietary deficiencies in nutrients such as
vitamin E, folate and calcium. According to the report, the elderly are two to
10 times more likely to die from infection than younger adults; however, taking
a daily multivitamin may build a stronger immune system by raising serum vitamin
levels.
CRN also reports that
supplementing with calcium and vitamin D could cut the incidence of hip
fractures among older people by at least 20 percent, which could mean an annual
savings in the United States between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in health care
costs. CRN reported that if people over the age of 50 took 1,200 mg/d of
supplemental calcium, more than 130,000 hip fractures could be prevented each
year.
Also, CRN reported a
prevention-based approach to health and diet had significant cost-savings
benefits. However, health advocacy groups such as the American Heart
Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer
Research do not recommend nutritional supplements, but instead provide diet
recommendations. According to CRN, these organizations "tend to believe no
public recommendation should be made until the evidence is `complete.'"
"The impact of a rational use of
dietary supplements can help reduce health care costs that escalate every year
as our population grows older," said Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., a professor at the
School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University who reviewed the
report before it was published.
Dickinson added, "For as little as
a dime a day, the cost of a basic multivitamins, you can make a sound investment
in good health."
Taking Vitamins Lowers Chronic
Disease Risk |
