Studies show underserved population could benefit from multivitamin

WASHINGTON The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Monday supported the conclusion that those Americans who are economically challenged could benefit health-wise in taking a multivitamin.

The conclusion was recently published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine citing surveys and studies in the “Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Use by Children and Adolescents in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.”

“The supplement industry agrees with the authors that the underserved population could benefit from a multivitamin,” stated Douglas MacKay, CRN VP, scientific and regulatory affairs. “The supplement industry supports the need for vitamins to be available to all individuals, including those of a lower socioeconomic status, through a number of initiatives, including through organizations such as Nourish America and Vitamin Angels, who help provide vitamins to those in need.”

In addition to supporting those initiatives, CRN has lobbied for legislation to include multivitamins with folic acid in the Food Stamp Provision of the Farm Bill, as well as passage of bills that allow purchase of supplements through flexible spending accounts or health spending accounts, MacKay said.

“It is also important to point out that the researchers rely on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey  but fail to point out that other data from the same survey show that many Americans, including children and adolescents, fail to consume recommended amounts of vitamins E, C, and A, as well as calcium and magnesium. A daily multivitamin could affordably and safely help fill these nutrient gaps,” MacKay added.