Study finds a strong association between good health and vitamin usage
By: Administrative Account | Source: www.irnnews.com
September 23, 2004 4:10PM EST

A 2003 study found a strong association
between general good health and multivitamin supplimentation.

The study was conducted by the Lewin Group (a healthcare
consulting firm), and funded by a subsidiary of the Wyeth
pharmaceutical company; Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, which
manufactures about 10 percent of the vitamin supplements made in
the U.S. Researchers analyzed more than 125 clinical studies and
additional scientific literature to determine the health benefits of
multivitamins, and the subsequent savings in healthcare bills for
people 65 and older.

The Lewin report was presented at a Washington, D.C. meeting
titled "Multivitamins and Public Health: Exploring the Evidence."
Researchers said that based on demonstrated multivitamin
protection from the risk of coronary artery disease, as well as
benefits to the immune system, they projected a five-year Medicare
savings of more than $1.6 billion if all U.S. citizens over the age of
65 took a daily multi.

But the actual savings could be much higher. In their calculations,
researchers didn't include expenditures associated with diabetes,
osteoporosis, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancer, because, based
on the sources they used, they couldn't conclude that multivitamins
have a direct preventive effect on those health problems. (The
Lewin team didn't have access to the ACS colorectal cancer study,
which was released the same week.)

These results were put into perspective by the director of
Healthcare Finance for the Lewin Group, Allen Dobson, Ph.D.,
who told meeting attendees that in his experience, "finding any
cost savings for preventive measures is unusual and finding cost
savings of this magnitude is very rare."