A report commissioned by Food Supplements Europe has found that the EU could save billions on cardiovascular disease (CVD) healthcare if omega-3 supplements were taken daily by the over-55s.
The aim of the Healthcare Cost Savings of Omega 3 Food Supplements in the European Union report was to determine if cost savings could be realised, in the form of avoided healthcare-related expenditures, from the use of an omega-3 EPA + DHA supplement.
The findings show that if 100% of the target population (Europeans aged over-55) consumed 1,000mg omega-3 EPA+DHA food supplements daily, health care spending on CVD could be reduced by a total of €12.9 billion.
The cost of addressing CVD in the EU will be €1,328 billion over the next five years, says the report, which was published earlier this month. However it says that if all over 55s were given a daily 1,000mg of omega-3 EPA + DHA daily, CVD hospital events in Europe may be reduced by 4.9%. This would mean 1.5 million fewer events between 2016 and 2020.
“In summary,” says the report, “this analysis demonstrates that significant healthcare cost savings can be realised through a concerted effort to identify high CVD-risk populations and motivate them to use omega-3 EPA + DHA supplements. In this theoretical statistical and economic analysis, the total potential benefits in avoided costly CVD-related hospital events and CVD death due to the use of omega-3 EPA + DHA supplements at 1,000 mg per day would average more than €64.6 billion over the next five years for the entire EU population age 55 and older.”
It concluded: “Understanding this link will help key stakeholders—potential omega-3 supplement users, healthcare providers, governments, private insurance companies, and employers —make recommendations about the best course of action to help minimise current and future costs and maximise benefits.”
The analysis was conducted by market research firm Frost & Sullivan.
