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DaVanzo, J. et al, "Improving Public Health, Reducing Health Care
Costs: An Evidence-Based Study of Five Dietary Supplements,"
September 22, 2004
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Health Impact Study
www.supplementinfo.org/healthimpacts/healthimpacts.htm
Lewin Group Findings Show Cost Savings, Health Benefits for Five Selected
Dietary Supplements: Calcium, Folic Acid, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Glucosamine
and Saw Palmetto
Washington, DC - September 22, 2004 - A study released today shows that
daily use of calcium would prevent 734,000 hip fractures and save $13.9
billion in health care costs over the next five years. Daily use of folic
acid by women would prevent 600 cases of neural tube birth defects yearly,
saving $1.3 billion in lifetime medical costs over five years.
Omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine and saw palmetto supplements showed
substantial promise for improving health and quality of life and
potentially reducing health care costs.
The study, commissioned by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance and
conducted by The Lewin Group, included a systematic literature review of
the most rigorous scientific research available.
Key study findings include:
* Calcium: The estimate of the five-year (2005-2009) net savings in
hospital, nursing facility, and physician expenditures resulting from a
reduction in the occurrence of hip fractures among those over age 65,
through daily intake of 1200 mg of calcium with vitamin D is $13.9
billion. Approximately 734,000 hip fractures could be avoided over the
five year period.
* Folic Acid: If just 10.5 million women of childbearing age began
taking 400 mcg of folic acid daily, approximately 600 fewer babies would
be born with neural tube defects per year, saving as much as $321,853,000
as a result. Taking into account the very low cost of the supplement, $1.3
billion in lifetime medical costs could potentially be saved over the next
five years.
* Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Recent studies have shown that omega-3 fatty
acids can have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD), and
Lewin's review found consistent evidence that omega-3 fatty acids help
reduce deaths from CVD. The research literature contains many promising
studies concerning the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for a wide
number of chronic conditions (e.g., depression, renal disease, rheumatoid
arthritis and asthma). Additional research is warranted to verify these
preliminary suggestions.
* Glucosamine: Glucosamine has been shown to have anti-inflammatory
effects and is believed to repair and maintain cartilage. Recently the use
of complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of
osteoarthritis has become more widespread, and particular interest has
focused on glucosamine.
* Saw Palmetto: Preliminary findings on the effectiveness of saw
palmetto for alleviating the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia
(BPH) indicate that use of the herb yields slight to moderate improvement
in symptoms for men with this chronic urinary syndrome.
"Many studies over the years have demonstrated the positive effects of
calcium and folic acid. This report reinforces those findings by
demonstrating the cost savings that could be achieved by taking these two
supplements," said Allen Dobson, Ph.D., senior vice president at The Lewin
Group. "The results on omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine and saw palmetto
were also extremely encouraging in their ability to offset health problems
and costs associated with chronic conditions."
Noting the implications of the study, the U.S. House Committee on
Government Reform's Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness held a
Congressional hearing on September 22 to review the results. Witnesses
included:
* Paul Coates, Director, Office of Dietary Supplements, National
Institutes of Health
* Al Dobson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, The Lewin Group
* Jeff Blumberg, Ph.D., Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition
Science and Policy and Associate Director of the Jean Mayer USDA Human
Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University
* Barbara Levine, Ph.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Nutrition in
Medicine and Director of the Nutrition Information Center at Weill Medical
College of Cornell University
* Elliott Balbert, Chief Executive Officer, Natrol and President, DSEA
* Marilu Henner, actress and author
"As our country faces an ever-growing crisis in health care, it is
important to recognize the role that dietary supplements can play in
reducing our burden of disease and the costs to manage it," said Jeffrey
Blumberg, professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
at Tufts University.
"Many industry experts have long believed that dietary supplements provide
consumers with long-term health benefits by reducing the incidence of
debilitating health problems, and this study proves it," said Elliott
Balbert, chief executive officer of Natrol and president of the Dietary
Supplement Education Alliance. "The findings provide evidence to support
both the cost savings and quality-of-life benefits of these particular
supplements."
For more information about the study, visit
www.supplementinfo.org
_____
The Lewin Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quintiles Transnational, is
a nationally recognized health care and human services consulting firm in
Falls Church , Va. The firm specializes in helping public and private
sector clients solve complex problems in healthcare and human services
with policy analysis, research and consulting.
The Dietary Supplement Education Alliance is a coalition of industry
leaders whose mission is to educate consumers, media and policymakers on
the benefits of dietary supplements for optimizing health and prevention
of disease, with a focus on their safety, efficacy and regulation. Its
membership includes nutritional and dietary supplement suppliers,
manufacturers, retailers and publishers.
For more information, or to speak with the spokespersons outlined above,
please contact:
Craig Brownstein - (202) 326-1799 / craig.brownstein@edelman.com
Beth Mallard - (202) 312-1084 / beth.mallard@edelman.com
Deb Knowles - (941) 349-9044 / debknowles@supplementinfo.org
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