Supplementing with calcium, vitamin D could save $12 billion in healthcare costs

WASHINGTON — Between 2013 and 2020, there is the possibility of more than $12 billion in healthcare cost savings if women older than 55 years were to take with calcium and vitamin D supplements, the Council for Responsible Nutrition revealed in a release issued Tuesday.

 

The economic report explained that calcium and vitamin D supplements already are being used by 29% of U.S. women older than 55 years. With 71% of this population not taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, there are billions of dollars in savings yet to be realized, according to the report.

 

The number of U.S. women older than 55 years with osteoporosis is expected to rise 13% between 2013 and 2020 to 9.4 million women. 

 

“We’ve come to understand that significant amounts of money are already being saved due to the responsible health choices women are making in taking dietary supplements. But there’s a real opportunity out there to save even more money — billions of dollars — and, in the process, help even more women at risk of experiencing a painful and expensive fracture,” said Steve Mister, president, CRNF.

 

The new economic report was conducted by Frost & Sullivan through a grant from the Council for Responsible Nutrition Foundation. 

 

To achieve the results, Frost & Sullivan conducted a systematic review of scientific studies that focused on studies that looked at the relationship between calcium and vitamin D supplementation and the risk of an osteoporosis-attributed event. The firm then projected the rates of osteoporosis-attributed medical events across U.S. women older than 55 years with osteoporosis and applied a cost-benefit analysis to determine the cost savings if people in this targeted population took calcium and vitamin D supplements at preventive intake levels.

 

According to the report, there would be an 18.6% relative risk reduction of women older than 55 years took calcium and vitamin D supplements at preventive intake levels (1,000 mg of calcium and 800 IUs of vitamin D). The median cost of these supplements is 16 cents per day, CRN noted.