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NEW REPORT SUGGESTS AT LEAST FOUR SUPPLEMENTS DAILY CAN PROMOTE HEALTH, PREVENT DISEASE CRN
Calls for Changes in Dietary Guidance
WASHINGTON, March 31--Four supplements a day may keep the doctor away and promote long-term health, according to a new report released today by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). Daily use of four nutritional supplements--vitamin E, vitamin C, calcium, and a multivitamin with folic acid--could cut people's risks of having heart attacks by 40 percent, protect vision during aging, prevent 50,000 hip fractures annually, and reduce by more than half the number of babies born every year with neural tube birth defects like spina bifida, according to studies in the report. In addition, multivitamin use may substantially reduce infectious disease in the elderly.
"We now have a substantial body of data showing that if everyone took a few supplements every day, they could significantly lower their risk of a multitude of serious diseases," said David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Heber spoke at a press conference here today to release the report.
Optimal Nutrition for Good Health: The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements is a comprehensive report on the most recent scientific data on vitamins, minerals, fiber, carotenoids, fish oils, and other nutritional supplements. Studies in the document demonstrate that supplements could be helpful in protecting against chronic diseases and conditions such as osteoporosis, birth defects, heart disease, stroke, infectious disease, macular degeneration, and cataracts.
The report's author, Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., CRN's Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, highlighted the latest scientific data in the report and called upon government and private agencies that establish nutrition policy to recommend the regular use of supplements.
"While it's sometimes argued that consumers can theoretically get everything they need from diet, the fact is most people fall short," Dr. Dickinson said. "Poor dietary habits are the norm, not the exception."
Dr. Lester Packer, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, observed that "It is difficult to obtain protective levels of some nutrients solely from diet. We know that generous intakes of the antioxidant vitamins C and E are required to reduce the risk of some chronic diseases. For instance, the amount of vitamin E believed to protect against heart disease is at least 100 international units (IU) per day, but most researchers think the optimum amount is more likely to be 400 IU. Supplements are clearly required to meet that level."
Drs. Heber and Packer were among a panel of physicians and scientists who reviewed the report.
A recent government survey detailed in the report found that 80 percent of women and 70 percent of men consumed less than two-thirds of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for one or more nutrients. A survey of 8000 adults found only one percent consumed diets meeting the five food-group recommendations that are the basis of the food guide pyramid.
Dr. Dickinson called on the Department of Health and Human Services to "more fully" recognize the role of supplements in the next revision of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and urged the United States Department of Agriculture to drop its prohibition against using food stamps to purchase nutritional supplements.
The report also discusses issues of supplement usage, safety, public policy initiatives, and includes a profile of supplement users. Key findings of studies and surveys in the report include:
-- Among the elderly, the routine use of multivitamin and mineral supplements could improve immune function and reduce infectious diseases.
-- Regular use of antioxidant vitamin supplements including vitamins C and E could delay the onset of cataracts by 10 years and reduce the need for cataract operations by 50 percent;
-- The appropriate use of supplements could substantially reduce health care costs. More than $10 billion annually could be saved if people took at least 100 IU of vitamin E on a regular, long-term basis to reduce the risk of heart disease; the use of the antioxidant vitamins C and E to reduce cataract operations could save $3.5 billion annually;
-- Most vitamins and minerals are safe within a wide range of intakes. Reports of adverse reactions from vitamin or mineral supplementation are relatively rare.
Founded in 1973, CRN is a trade association representing manufacturers of dietary supplements and ingredients. Its members, whose products represent the majority of nutritional supplement sales in the U.S., share the commitment of providing beneficial, safe, and quality supplements to consumers. CRN's membership has ratified a code of ethics which affirms member companies are dedicated to enhancing the health of the American public, committed to reducing health care costs through improved nutrition and recognize their duty to provide consumers with accurate information to make informed choices.
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