Appropriateness of Vitamin and Mineral Prescription Orders for Residents of Health Related Facilities*

The prevalence of dietary supplementation and its relationship to health and dietary habits was investigated in a random mail survey of 2,195 people aged 65 years and over in Adelaide, South Australia. Subjects were selected from the electoral rolls in an urban area, and 77% returned completed survey instruments. Thirty-five percent of men and 46% of women reported taking some form of supplement at least once a week regularly throughout the year (these are defined as "regular" supplementers). The most popular supplements (in descending order of popularity for the total group) were: unprocessed bran, wheatgerm, vitamin C, and multivitamins or minerals. Thirteen percent of men and 15% of women reported the use of supplements on an occasional basis (once every few months or "now and then")--these are defined as "irregular" or "occasional" supplementers. Supplement users did not differ from non-supplementers in their use of medical facilities or in the number of bouts of minor illness they had experienced in the preceding year. Regular supplement users had more favorable dietary habits and higher intakes of several vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fiber than either non-supplementers or occasional supplementers.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Supplement Use in a Randomly Selected Group of Elderly Australians

Horwath¹,

Worsley²

1989

“…Physicians may partially contribute to this increased vitamin use since those caring for the elderly may frequently recommend a daily oral multivitamin, 5 despite literature suggesting the elderly may not need supplements 6–10 . Possible reasons multivitamins are given include the concern that the elderly often ingest inadequate amounts of vitamins, 11 and while intake does not always correlate with biochemical assessment of vitamin status, low vitamin levels have also been found in older people 11,12 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily Multivitamin Supplementation and Vitamin Blood Levels in the Elderly: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Trial

Mann

Hunt

Owen³

et al. 1987

Despite the many questions being raised about multivitamin use by the elderly, it has not been proven that consuming an oral multivitamin alters vitamin blood levels in the aged. To address this question, we performed a randomized, prospective, placebo‐controlled study of daily multivitamin supplementation in 101 noninstitutionalized ambulatory elderly persons (median age, 64 years). Vitamin levels were assayed at baseline, and at two and four months of supplementation. At four months, those taking multivitamins had statistically significant increased levels of water soluble vitamins (C, B2, B12, plasma, and erythrocyte folate) that were greater than changes noted for the placebo group. This was not true for fat soluble vitamins A and E. Greater storage pools of fat soluble vitamins help explain this discrepancy. We conclude that in the ambulatory elderly, oral multivitamins can raise levels of water soluble vitamins but the effect on fat soluble vitamins remains uncertain.

“…Cardiac glycosides, administered chronically, can cause a thiamine deficiency; aspirin can deplete a patient of folic acid; the biguanides and colchicine can be responsible for low vitamin B 12 levels 67 . Antituberculars can induce folate, vitamin B 6 , and vitamin B 12 deficiencies 68 .…”

Section: Other Important Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Diet and Nutrition on Drug Therapy

Lamy¹

1982

Foods containing biochemically active substances have been used therapeutically throughout the ages and continue to function as important adjuncts to drug therapy. But naturally‐occurring substances can also have adverse effects, as can the food additives of today. Food‐drug interactions can alter the effects of therapeutic agents or cause adverse reactions where none had existed. These problems are often aggravated in elderly patients, who may suffer from malnutrition (e.g., protein insufficiency) or altered food metabolism. Malnutrition in the elderly can be caused by disease, socioeconomic factors, or simply by the deterioration of eating habits. Although nutritional requirements decrease with age, the elderly still need nutrients for the repair of normal structures and for energy. The nutritional needs of the elderly remain poorly defined. Drugs can alter food metabolism, which, in turn, can affect drug action. Many food–drug interactions are well documented; drug absorption and drug elimination are often affected by an altered food metabolism. Particular problems include salicylate‐induced iron deficiency, poor monitoring of vitamin metabolism and the effects of vitamin underuse and overuse, and lack of knowledge about the effects of long‐term drug use on vitamin metabolism. An additional problem is the presence of potentially harmful materials in non‐prescription products.