Over the past month, we have seen a wave of publicity surrounding dietary supplements stories in the media. The Natural Products Foundation would like to take this opportunity to highlight a series of studies commissioned by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance, which was merged into the Natural Products Foundation.

The Health Impact Studies examined a range of dietary supplements. The results of these studies are staggering, and deserve widespread attention. The findings for calcium supplementation alone are astounding:

Appropriate use of calcium with vitamin D for the Medicare population shows potential avoidance of approximately 776,000 hospitalizations for hip fractures over five years, as well as avoidance of stays in skilled nursing facilities for some proportion of patients. The five-year (2008-2012) estimated net cost associated with avoidable hospitalization for hip fracture is approximately $16.1 billion.

The Health Impact Studies were conducted in stages over a number of years, resulting in four reports.

Health Impact Study I: Dietary supplement usage could save Billions in health care costs  
The first Health Impact Study examined five supplements: calcium (with vitamin D), folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine and saw palmetto. The study concluded that the reduction of hip fractures through calcium intake alone could save the health care industry approximately $13.9 billion through a reduction in hospital, nursing facility and physician expenditures.  Folic Acid intake for sufferers of neural tube defects (NTD) over five years could save approximately $1.3 billion in lifetime costs.  Research on the other supplements was similarly promising. 

Health Impact Study II: Seniors who take certain Dietary Supplements live longer, more independent lives
The second Health Impact Study chose for its focus the health of senior citizens over the age of 65. The supplements studied were omega-3 fatty acids, for their role in decreasing rates of coronary heart disease, and lutein with zeaxanthin, for reducing levels of age-related macular degeneration.  As with the initial study, the findings were overwhelmingly positive: with the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, $3.1 billion could be saved over five years, with 384,303 CHD-related hospitalizations avoided.  With lutein with zeaxanthin, $2.5 billion could be saved through avoiding greater dependency and admission to nursing care facilities necessitated by the loss of sight.

Health Impact Study III: Supplements help better manage diabetes
For the third study, the Lewin Group were instructed to examine the potential benefits of dietary supplements for diabetics.  The study found that diabetics, 34% of whom currently take dietary supplements regularly, report themselves in significantly better health than diabetics who do not take supplements.  Diabetic supplement users also reported being in better health than a year ago, and are more likely than diabetics who do not take dietary supplements to engage in other protective health behaviors, such as refraining from alcohol and consistently managing glucose levels.

Health Impact Study IV: An update to previous studies, shows select supplements could save $24+ billion in health care costs
The fourth Health Impact Study updated earlier analyses with new studies by the Lewin group and its experts, finding that just a handful of dietary supplements (calcium with vitamin D, folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and lutein with zeaxanthin)could save the U.S. health care system over $24 billion over a five year period. This includes savings of approximately $16.1 billion through the use of calcium with vitamin D, $3.2 billion from omega-3 fatty acids, $3.6 billion from lutein with zeaxanthin, and $1.4 billion from folic acid.

“These studies provide strong evidence on the great value of dietary supplements for health and for cost savings,” said Derek Hall, Chairman of the Natural Products Foundation. “It’s important to consider these results as we evaluate ways to improve the health of our population and effectively manage healthcare costs.”