The significance of this policy change is reflected in the historically conservative stance of the American Medical Association (AMA) and other respected health organizations that have not been willing to advocate or acknowledge the potential benefits of vitamins in the prevention of degenerative disease. Traditionally, the AMA has been hesitant to routinely recommend vitamin supplements, except during pregnancy or to treat specific nutritional deficiencies.

Robert H. Fletcher, MD, MSc, and Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD, DrPH, of Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, reviewed more than 30 years of science papers regarding vitamins in relation to chronic diseases and published their findings in two companion articles.

In the scientific review article, the researchers write that the North American diet is generally sufficient to prevent overt vitamin deficiency diseases such as pellagra, scurvy, and beriberi. However, they explain, 'recent evidence has shown that suboptimal levels of vitamins, even well above those causing deficiency syndromes, are associated with increased risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis.'

In a clinical commentary, they note that 'a large proportion of the general population' has less-than-optimal intakes of a number of vitamins, exposing them to increased disease risk. In addition, they counsel that, 'it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements.'

From the body of evidence they reviewed, they concluded the following:

• Folate and Vitamins B6 and B12 are required for homocysteine metabolism and are associated with decreased coronary heart disease risk.
• Folate may decrease the risk of neural tube defects and certain cancers such as colorectal and breast cancers.
• Vitamin E and lycopene may decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
• Vitamin D is associated with decreased occurrence of fractures when taken with calcium.

Fletcher and Fairfield advise using, 'multivitamins, rather than individual vitamins, because multivitamins are simpler to take and cheaper than the individual vitamins taken separately and because a large proportion of the population needs supplements of more than one vitamin.' For a decade, USANA Health Sciences has been a leader in providing high quality nutritional supplements containing optimal levels of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients. Now finally, the medical community is acknowledging the value of nutritional supplements for disease prevention. Poor nutrition and poor lifestyle choices have an immediate impact on health and the development of chronic degenerative diseases later in life. It is obvious that most of us receive less-than-optimal intakes of a number of nutrients from our diets, and supplementation is a convenient and effective way to improve an inadequate diet.

2002: From USANA's Science Information Services

1. Fairfield KM, Fletcher RH.
Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: scientific review

2. JAMA 2002; 287:3116-3126.
Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM.
Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: clinical applications

3. JAMA 2002; 287:3127-3129

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