[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 134 (Friday, November 19, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11619-S11620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MULTIVITAMIN USE

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, over the last several years, a significant 
and growing body of scientific research has emerged detailing the 
important role micronutrients play in the prevention of many types of 
chronic disease.
  While the science supporting optimal nutrition for disease prevention 
has grown, the average American's diet has progressively gotten worse. 
As we have heard so often, a large percentage of Americans do not eat 
the right mix of foods to meet the Government's RDIs--or recommended 
daily intakes.
  Our top nutrition priority should be getting people to eat a more 
varied, balanced diet. However, there is a simple and inexpensive way 
to help Americans get many of the micronutrients they need--encourage 
the use of a daily multivitamin. Multivitamins--as a complement to a 
healthy diet--are a simple, safe and cost-effective preventive measure.
  Indeed, several recent studies have shown their efficacy. For 
example, in June 2002, an article published in the Journal of the 
American Medical Association recommended that all Americans take a 
multivitamin daily to help prevent chronic diseases such as heart 
disease, cancer and osteoporosis. A year late, the Journal of Nutrition 
published the results of the Stockholm Heart Study, which showed that 
the use of multivitamins may aid in the prevention of heart attacks.
  In March, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found 
that multivitamin use decreased the risk of infection for people with 
diabetes. And the science continues to mount demonstrating the 
potential of daily multivitamin use which can have a whole range of 
benefits. These include reducing the incidence of neural tube defects 
by 50 percent or more, decreasing the number of sick days in the 
elderly due to infectious illnesses by up to 50 percent, delaying or 
avoiding more than 20 percent of hip fractures caused by osteoporosis, 
delaying the onset of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, 
reducing the incidence of heart disease, stroke and possibly 
Alzheimer's, and protecting against some types of cancer.
  Additionally, I would like to recognize a study that was commissioned 
by Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and conducted by The Lewin Group. The 
study examined the potential cost savings--within the Medicare health 
care model--that could occur if more of our aging population took a 
daily multivitamin. This study also served as a means for evaluating 
the impact daily multivitamin use can have on preventive health, 
particularly in the areas of cardiovascular disease and immune 
function. The results of the study indicate that increased multivitamin 
use by adults over 65 could result in an estimated savings to Medicare 
of more than $1.6 billion over a 5-year period.
  Research shows that a significant number of elderly in our country do 
not receive proper amounts of essential vitamins, minerals and other 
nutrients, making them more vulnerable to disease and infection. By 
adding a multivitamin to their diets, seniors--and all Americans--can 
help ensure they get the nutrients they need to stay healthy.
  While it is always prudent for an individual to take supplements in 
close consultation with his or her health care advisers, it is obvious 
from the research that dietary supplements continue to have important 
health care benefits for consumers and policymakers alike.
  I ask unanimous consent that the attached release outlining the Lewin 
study printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 New Study Finds Increased Multivitamin Use by the Elderly Could Save 
                         Medicare $1.6 Billion

       Washington, Oct. 2, 2003.--The results of a new study 
     released today show that the daily use of a multivitamin by 
     older adults could lead to more than $1.6 billion in Medicare 
     savings over the next five years. The study, funded by Wyeth 
     Consumer Healthcare and conducted by The Lewin Group, was 
     presented at ``Multivitamins and Public Health: Exploring the 
     Evidence,'' a meeting which brought together leading experts 
     from government agencies, top research universities and 
     health advocacy organizations to examine the current science 
     supporting daily multivitamin use and help chart the course 
     for future research.
       The study, the first of its kind, included a systematic 
     literature review of the most rigorous research available and 
     examined the health effects of multivitamin use among adults 
     over 65 years old. The researchers used an analysis of 
     Medicare claims files and widely accepted Congressional 
     Budget Office (CBO) cost accounting methods to determine the 
     costs and potential savings, monetizing the potential 
     preventive health benefits of multivitamin supplementation.
       ``We were able to identify significant cost savings based 
     on improved immune functioning and a reduction in the 
     relative risk of coronary artery disease through providing a 
     daily multivitamin to the 65 and over population,'' said 
     Allen Dobson, Ph.D., senior vice president and director of 
     Healthcare Finance at The Lewin Group. ``In my experience, 
     finding any cost savings for preventive measures is unusual 
     and finding cost savings of this magnitude is very rare.
       Over the five-year period from 2004-2008, the study results 
     show potential savings from a reduction in hospitalizations 
     for heart attacks, as well as from a reduction in 
     hospitalizations, Medicare nursing home stays and home 
     healthcare associated with infection.
       While the evidence most strongly supports the beneficial 
     effects of multivitamins in improved immune functioning and a 
     reduction in the relative risk of heart disease, researchers 
     also reviewed literature that examined the preventive 
     benefits of multivitamin supplementation as it relates to 
     colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes and 
     osteoporosis. These other conditions were not included in the 
     cost estimation, however, because the research currently 
     available in these areas did not support a direct translation 
     from health effect to reduced heath care utilization within a 
     health insurance framework.
       These disease states, along with a wide range of additional 
     topics, were among the themes at the Multivitamins and Public 
     Health: Exploring the Evidence meeting yesterday. The invited 
     panel of multidisciplinary thought leaders reviewed the 
     current state of the science and discussed the role 
     multivitamins play in reducing the risk of developing chronic 
     disease, as well as their role in immunity and public health. 
     They came to the following conclusions:
       Most Americans do not get optimal amounts of key 
     micronutrients through diet alone, despite the evidence that 
     poor nutritional status increases the risk of birth defects, 
     and infectious and chronic disease;
       Daily multivitamins should be recommended to help close 
     this nutritional gap;
       Multivitamins are safe, affordable, cost-effective and 
     accessible;
       There is promising evidence supporting multivitamin use for 
     the prevention of some chronic diseases such as 
     cardiovascular disease, making it prudent to recommend that 
     all adults take a daily multivitamin.
       ``Despite our efforts to maintain a healthy diet, research 
     indicates most of us fall short of getting the vitamins and 
     minerals we need,'' said David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., director 
     of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and a co-chair of 
     Multivitamins and Public Health. ``A daily multivitamin is a 
     simple and cost-effective way to help ensure good health.''
       ``The current research indicates that multivitamins can 
     help protect against the cell damage that makes us vulnerable 
     to the development of many diseases common among older 
     adults,'' said meeting co-chair Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., a 
     professor in the

[[Page S11620]]

     Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts 
     University. ``Multivitamins are a safe and effective tool for 
     the promotion of health and prevention of chronic disease.''
       Multivitamins and Public Health: Exploring the Evidence, a 
     two-day meeting held October 1-2, 2003, in Washington, D.C., 
     brought together leading health and nutrition experts from 
     government agencies, top research universities and health 
     advocacy organizations to examine the state of the science 
     supporting daily multivitamin use and help chart the course 
     for future research. The meeting was co-sponsored by the 
     Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science 
     and Policy at Tufts University and the UCLA Center for Human 
     Nutrition and was supported by a grant from Wyeth Consumer 
     Healthcare.
       The Lewin Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quintiles 
     Transnational, is a nationally recognized health care and 
     human services consulting firm in Falls Church, Va. The firm 
     specializes in helping public and private sector clients 
     solve complex problems in healthcare and human services with 
     policy analysis, research and consulting.

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