CRN: 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) (www.jama.com) 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. [More on the JAMA study can be found at www.naturalproductsinsider.com/hotnews/26h19161445.html.]

The 100-plus page report, The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements (www.crnusa.org/benefits.html), 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."