RESEARCH AND MARKET EXPRESS

Best supplement for seniors

Better Nutrition, Feb, 2004

A new study contends that if Americans over age 65 took one multivitamin a day, the United States could save $1.6 billion in Medicare expenses over 5 years.

Experts from government agencies, health organizations and universities presented their report, Multivitamins and Public Health: Exploring the Evidence, last October in Washington, DC. The study is noteworthy for two reasons.

First, even preventive health benefits do not usually translate scientifically into economic savings. But the report is quite specific about predicted benefits and savings.

Second, studies rarely recommend supplements for large cross sections of the population because nutritional deficiencies are typically individual-specific. For this reason, such a blanket recommendation is a significant precedent.

Researchers used an analysis of Medicare claims and Congressional Budget Office accounting methods to monetize the potential health benefits of multivitamin supplementation. Predicted savings were based on improved immune functioning and a reduction in the risk of coronary artery disease. Multivitamins for seniors are seen as affordable, accessible and safe. And, says the study, of economic benefit.

(Published: Better Nutrition, Feb, 2004 )


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