WASHINGTON, D.C., June 24, 2002 – Baby boomers concerned about ways to improve their health can take heart. New scientific evidence is confirming that even simple lifestyle adjustments–like the addition of daily nutritional supplements–can pay major dividends in promoting health and helping prevent disease. A comprehensive new report released by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) found that consistent use of multivitamins (preferably with minerals) and such single-nutrient supplements as antioxidants (vitamins C and E) and calcium demonstrate strong positive impact in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke–as well as in maintaining bone mass, and protecting eye and brain function–among adults around the age of 50.

The 100-plus page report–titled The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements–reviewed more than a decade’s-worth of the most scientifically-significant studies measuring the health benefits of multivitamins and other nutritional supplements, including antioxidants (vitamins C and E), calcium, long chain omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils), vitamin D, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and folic acid. The impact of supplementation for adults in mid-life was emphasized throughout the report.

"The critical mass of science now building around the material impact of supplementation on adults in mid-life is extremely positive," said Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., the author of the report and

CRN vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs. "The data underscores the opportunity baby boomers have to significantly improve both their short and long-term health outlook with very simple lifestyle changes. Like not smoking and getting regular exercise, supplement use is now being shown to have a dramatic, positive effect on health."

But Dr. Dickinson added that while all people should strive to eat a healthy and balanced diet, few do. Plus, food intake alone is often not enough–especially as the body ages and becomes less efficient in its absorption of nutrients. "Most Americans’ diets fall well below the Recommended Dietary Allowance for many micronutrients. While good eating habits should remain at the foundation of health promotion, the medical and scientific communities are increasingly acknowledging that nutritional supplements can act as a bridge between what we should eat and what we actually eat," she said.

Highlights from the report findings include:

• A substantial body of evidence now suggests that generous intakes of three B vitamins (B-6, B-12 and folic acid) can reduce the risk of two primary causes of death and disability for Americans in mid-life–heart attack and stroke. Some researchers believe that supplementation with these B vitamins could prevent tens of thousands of deaths from cardiovascular disease every year.
• A growing number of studies are indicating that antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E) may also have a substantial effect in protecting against heart disease. For example, the Nurses’ Health Study involving more than 87,000 women found a 41% reduction in risk of heart disease among nurses who had taken vitamin E for more than two years.
• Maintaining bone density is an area of particular importance for women in mid-life. A 2001 study of more than 200,000 postmenopausal women 50 or older found that 40% had low bone mineral density (osteopenia) while another 7% showed readings so low as to constitute osteoporosis. During the first year of the study, the women with osteopenia had twice the rate of bone fracture compared to women with normal bone density–while the women with osteoporosis had four times as many fractures.
• While women garner the majority of attention regarding bone density, men are also at risk of losing bone mass as they age. In studies of supplementation with calcium and vitamin D, both men and women using the supplements experienced significantly lower rates of bone loss and fewer nonvertebral fractures.
• There is growing data on the positive impact of antioxidants on eye and brain function. Studies have linked antioxidants with a reduced risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 65 in the United States and other Western countries. Researchers have also found strong links between the intake of vitamins C and E and improved cognitive function–as well as some promising indications that vitamin E may play a role in delaying the on-set of degenerative brain conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

"The weight of scientific evidence strongly indicates that adults in mid-life have the opportunity to incorporate nutritional supplements to significant benefit," said David Heber, M.D., professor of medicine and director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. "It’s my hope that health care professionals will increasingly incorporate discussions about an appropriate supplementation regime with their adult patients–particularly since supplements provide a simple and affordable way to ensure that diets contain the proper levels of micronutrients."

Dr. Dickinson is an expert on the benefits of vitamins and minerals who has worked in the field since 1973. In 1995, President Clinton appointed Dr. Dickinson to the Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels, and in 2002 she was named to the Food Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She is the author of numerous papers and is frequently asked to speak on the topic of dietary supplements to policy-making, scientific and other audiences.

The full report and additional press materials, including graphics and information on how to purchase a copy of The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements, are available on the CRN website at www.crnusa.org/benefits.html

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing ingredient suppliers and manufacturers in the dietary supplement industry. 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. The dietary supplement industry is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, as well as by government agencies in each of the 50 states.