Industry Group Defends Diet Supplements for Seniors

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) is a science-based trade association founded in 1973 and represents more than 110 companies in the dietary supplement industry, including ingredient suppliers and manufacturers. CRN members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under good manufacturing practices.

http://www.crnusa.org/

Sept. 14, 2001 –"The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) joins the Senate Special Committee on Aging in deploring any promotional activities that prey on the fears of the elderly or that promise magic bullets," said John Cordaro, President and CEO of CRN. "On the other hand, the nutritional needs of the elderly are well recognized, and the Federal government is dedicating substantial funding to additional research in this area. CRN is anxious to work with the Senate Committee to ensure that legitimate needs and sound products are acknowledged."

CRN’s Vice President for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Annette Dickinson, emphasized that the elderly have some special needs that can be met by dietary supplements. She noted, "Some dietary supplements have clear benefits for the elderly in supporting nutritional status, improving immune function, and reducing the risk of some chronic diseases. Those eager for appropriate reform should take care not to turn older citizens away from dietary supplements with proven benefit."

As a reminder of the richness of the scientific literature on dietary supplement benefits for the elderly, consider the following studies:

Researchers found that elderly people in Iowa had low intakes of most vitamins and minerals, and concluded that they would benefit from a multivitamin. Eighty percent of the elderly in this study had inadequate intake of four or more nutrients.
A study in France found that, even in people over the age of 65, taking calcium and vitamin D decreased the rate of bone loss and even increased bone density slightly -- and lowered the number of bone fractures by 43 percent in this vulnerable group.
Studies in nursing homes have documented the fact that many residents do not get adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, and deficiencies of these nutrients can lead to the kinds of symptoms most common in these populations, including mental confusion and dementia.
In a study involving people over the age of 65, a multivitamin with minerals decreased illnesses due to infectious disease by 50 percent and also improved mental function.

Dr. Ranjit Chandra, an internationally recognized expert in immune function in the elderly, has said, "Since there is no evidence to suggest that physiological amounts of vitamins and trace elements given for prolonged periods have any toxic or adverse consequences and given the high prevalence of deficiencies of several micronutrients in old age, it would be prudent to opt for a suitable micronutrient supplement in modest amounts for all elderly individuals…"

Researchers who have extensively studied the nutritional deficiencies that are routinely observed in nursing home patients have said that "essential nutrient inadequacies can lead to adverse effects on nearly all organ systems and can contribute to many of the physical and mental complications commonly seen in nursing home residents."

One of the leaders in nutrition research in the elderly, Dr. Irwin Rosenberg of the USDA Center for Nutrition Research in the Elderly at Tufts University in Boston, has said that it is "possible that some of the decline in cognitive function associated with aging is preventable or reversible with improved vitamin nutrition, especially vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6, and folate."

Cataracts are a major scourge of the elderly, and results of numerous large cohort studies suggest that people who use vitamin supplements have a lower risk of cataracts. In Harvard’s Physicians’ Health Study, it was found that doctors who used multivitamins had a lower risk of developing a cataract and a 21 percent lower risk of having a cataract operation, compared to doctors who did not use supplements. The Nurses Health Study revealed that nurses who used vitamin C supplements for at least 10 years had a 77 percent lower risk of developing lens opacities, which are the precursor to cataract formation.

The leading cause of blindness in the elderly is macular degeneration, and the National Eye Institute has found that people with high blood carotenoid levels have a lower risk of macular degeneration. Lutein is a carotenoid that is notably concentrated in the macula of the eye. The National Eye Institute has another study under way to examine the potential benefits of supplementation with antioxidant nutrients.

Numerous studies have shown that three of the B vitamins (folate, B-6, and B-12) lower blood levels of homocysteine, and people with lower levels of homocysteine have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including both heart disease and stroke. Researchers at Harvard Medical School concluded that lowering homocysteine levels with vitamins "could prevent tens of thousands of cases of cardiovascular disease each year at very low cost and with few (if any) adverse effects."

Researchers in England found that giving vitamin E (400 or 800 IU) to men who had already had a heart attack or angina could dramatically reduce the chance of having a subsequent heart attack. The risk was reduced by a surprising 75 percent. In two large studies at Harvard, men and women who took vitamin E supplements for at least two years had about a 40 percent reduced risk of heart disease.

The risk of hip fracture "increases exponentially in white women, doubling each 5-6 years from about age 40." There is consensus that supplementation with calcium and vitamin D can significantly reduce the rate of age-related bone loss. Recommended calcium intake for people over the age of 50 is 1200 milligrams (mg) per day, and the vitamin D recommendation is 400 IU per day from age 51 to age 70, and 600 IU after age 70. Practically everyone will require supplementation to achieve these levels of intake.

"The elderly are often at nutritional risk, and they can benefit from dietary supplements," said Dickinson. "CRN’s member companies are committed to providing the American population, including the elderly, with high-quality, well formulated products."