A report published by Food Supplements Europe (FSE) has identified supplementation as a cost-effective policy to bridge gaps in nutrition and potentially delivery valuable health cost savings.
The FSE’s How food supplements can help contribute to public health in Europe report highlights the fact that despite clear guidelines on dietary reference values (DRVs), millions of Europeans are failing to meet these targets. In addition, for many individuals with specific requirements, due to disease or absorption capability for example, DRVs might not be adequate to deliver optimal nutritional status.
Citing supplementation of the full spectrum of micronutrients and fatty acids at appropriate levels as a cost-effective way of helping individuals to achieve recommended intakes, the report says: “Scientific evidence combined with economic impact studies reveal that topping up diets with supplemented nutrients not only prevents deficiency but could lead to significant health savings as a consequence of the beneficial impact on chronic disease risk.
Scientific evidence combined with economic impact studies reveal that topping up diets with supplemented nutrients not only prevents deficiency but could lead to significant health savings as a consequence of the beneficial impact on chronic disease risk
“Supplementation is an effective way of bridging the gap between current status and optimal intakes. Indeed, this is already recognized for certain nutrients as illustrated by the example of vitamin D supplementation which is now broadly recommended across the European Union.”
The FSE calls on policymakers to take advantage of the benefits of supplementation within healthcare policy: “The benefits of supplementation can help to save lives and significantly reduce healthcare costs. The scientific evidence is in place – all that is now needed to leverage these benefits is the will of policy leaders to integrate this into policy.”
