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THURSDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDayNews) -- You may not want to forget the apple, but a new report claims that if older Americans take a multivitamin a day, they may be able to keep health-care costs at bay.
An economic impact study by a national health care consulting company, The Lewin Group, determined that increased daily intake of a multivitamin by older adults could save Medicare more than $1.6 billion over five years.
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"The available evidence most strongly supports the beneficial effects of multivitamins in improved immune functioning and a reduction in the relative risk of heart disease," the report concludes.
The Lewin Group used Medicare claims for 2001 as the basis for how much money could be saved.
"Potential savings would be achieved through a reduction in hospitalizations for infection and heart attacks, a reduction in Medicare nursing home stays for infection, and a reduction in home health care associated with infection (pneumonia)," the researchers say.
They analyzed 128 clinical studies and other sources and concluded that older adults who take a daily multivitamin can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent and improve their immune system function.
The study estimated that in 2004 it would cost approximately $149 million to provide each American over age 65 with a daily multivitamin. But the health benefits offered by multivitamins would reduce the costs of nursing home stays, hospitalizations and home health care associated with pneumonia, sepsis and other infections by about $83 million.
There would be another $215 million in savings in 2004 due to lower hospital admissions from cardiac disease, including heart attacks, the study says.
Over five years, the total savings in Medicare costs were estimated to be $1.6 billion.
Only about one-third of Americans take a daily multivitamin. And many fall one-third to one-half short of getting their daily dosage of vitamins recommended by the American Dietetic Association, the study notes.
It also says that even if Medicare paid for daily multivitamins, at least 15 percent of American seniors would not take them every day.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about vitamins (www.hsph.harvard.edu).
-- Robert Preidt
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