Supplements Lower Health Care Costs

A literature review conducted by the economic firm Frost &Sullivan has determined that dietary supplements can significantly reduce health care costs. . . .

They reviewed the literature on the use of eight different supplement regimes for populations at high risk for four different chronic health conditions.

They looked at:
1) Coronary Heart Disease: omega-3 essential fatty acids; folic acid, B6 and B12; phytosterols; and psyllium
2) Coronary Heart Disease caused by Diabetes: chromium
3) Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Cataracts: lutein and zeaxanthin
4) Osteoporosis: Calcium and Vitamin D; Magnesium

For coronary heart disease, the review found that supplementing omega-3 fatty acids at preventative levels in high risk populations would reduce health care costs in the U.S. by as much as $2.06 billion a year. Using the B-vitamins folic acid, B6 and B12 would reduce health care costs by $1.52 billion a year. Phytosterols would reduce it by $4.23 billion a year and psylllium by $4.38 billion a year.

For coronayr heart disease from diabetes, supplementing chromium would reduce health care costs by $1.22 billion a year.

If people at high risk for age-related macular degeneration or cataracts took lutein and zeaxanthin at preventative levels, health care costs would be reduced by $57.4 million annually.

And the combination of calcium and vitamin D would reduce annual health care costs by $1.87 billion a year. Supplementing magnesium would reduce them by $851 million.

http://www.crnusa.org/CRNfoundation/HCCS/chapters/CRN-HCCS-brochure0913.pdf