Health
Dietary supplements yield health benefits and cost savings
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 18, 2004
Five dietary supplements, calcium, folic acid, omega-3-fatty acids, glucosamine and saw palmetto, showed health benefits and cost savings in a study commissioned by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance and done by The Lewin Group, a national health care consulting firm.
A review of the available literature revealed that there would be a savings of nearly $14 billion in health care costs because of a reduced number of hip fractures among those older than 65 if that group consumed 1,200 mg of calcium with vitamin D each day for five years. Approximately 734,000 hip fractures could be avoided over the five-year period studied, 2004-09, according to the report. The group also found that if 10.5 million women of childbearing age began taking 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, approximately 600 fewer babies would be born with neural tube defects per year, saving as much as $1.3 billion in medical costs over the next five years.
The Lewin review also found evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease; that glucosamine has an anti-inflammatory effect and is believed to help in the repair and maintenance of cartilage; and that saw palmetto might alleviate the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/10/18/hlbf1018.htm.
