Washington, D.C.—A new report by market analyst Frost & Sullivan examines how supplementation can lead to lower healthcare costs.

The report, Smart Prevention—Health Care Cost Savings Resulting from the Targeted Use of Dietary Supplements, examined the economic effects that dietary supplements, taken by adults (ages 55 and over) diagnosed with one of four chronic diseases, could have on the U.S. healthcare system.

The report was presented at the Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus (DSC) briefing, here, on December 5^th, by Steve Mister, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition Foundation. Mister explained how supplementation at preventative intake levels in high-risk populations could lower the number of medical events associated with various diseases, including heart disease, eye-related disease, diabetes and bone disease. Fewer medical events could mean significant healthcare cost savings.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that 75% of health care costs are spent on those with preventable diseases, while only 3% of costs are spent on prevention.

Mister suggested that teaching those at risk for preventable diseases to effectively include supplements in their daily lives would not only control rising healthcare costs, but also “give sick individuals a chance to reduce the risk of costly events and, most importantly, to improve their quality of life.”

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, February 2014 (online 12/11/13)