Praised more, vilified less: Today supplements are acknowledged for extending lives and saving billions of dollars

A famous adage goes, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

It describes the predictable stages a new disruptive idea, a new product, or a change in thinking goes through when challenging the status quo.

The famous quote is often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, though historians note there is no concrete documentation of him actually saying it in that exact form.

The adage could be aptly applied to the slow acceptance of supplements by the medical establishment over the decades.

First, the early forms of nutritional supplements were ignored. Next, consumers of supplements were scoffed at and were  told they were "throwing their money away."

Then, as popularity and sales continued to gain ground, supplements were openly attacked. Medical academia and professionals said supplements were "unregulated" and "dangerous to unwitting customers." The news media obliged by headlining the rare instances of supplement injuries and fake products—while ignoring the tens of thousands of annual prescription drug deaths. 

"Then you win"  

Now we seem to have finally reached the stage where supplements are winning—or at least receiving grudging acknowledgment. 

Even the last establishment holdouts are admitting that supplements are sorely needed to fill the nutrient gaps that most people have.

In fact, the tide has turned so dramatically that, rather than observing supplement hit pieces in the media, you're now more likely to see a report on the money (and lives) that could be saved if only people utilized supplements more consistently.

A case in point is a new analysis that concluded supplementation with Omega-3s, phytosterols and beta-glucans could save billions of dollars in cardiovascular healthcare costs, while significantly extending the lives of tens of millions of people.

The report, commissioned by Food Supplements Europe, covered the 27 member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom, and was projected through the 2025–2035 period. 

The researchers modeled the potential reduction in cardiovascular events and associated healthcare, social care, informal care and productivity costs. The researchers utilized the published-and-peer-reviewed scientific evidence on supplementing benefits, along with country-level economic reporting data to calculate the numbers.

The researchers concluded that supplementing is so effective that for every Euro dollar (€) spent on supplements, there would be an €8.30 savings in related healthcare costs that would have otherwise been spent.

The authors of the study noted most of the savings would come primarily by the improvements seen in the at-risk populations aged 55 and over. In addition, while noting other nutrients are also beneficial, their findings were based specifically on the benefits reaped by supplementation with Omega-3 EPA, Omega-3 DHA, phytosterols and beta-glucans. 

Meanwhile, in the U.S.

The concept of "lower healthcare costs by increasing supplementing" is certainly not new. 

In the U.S. a 2022 report produced by the Council for Responsible Nutrition detailed how tens of thousands of lives—and tens of billions of dollars—could be saved by simply expanding the use of the most-needed nutritional supplements.

The Council even published a report, Supplements to Savings: U.S. Health Care Cost Savings from the Targeted Use of Dietary Supplements, 2022–2030, which detailed the conditions most pertinent to address, and the key nutrients needed.

Similar to the new European study, the earlier U.S. study also highlighted coronary artery disease; however, the U.S. report also included osteoporosis and cognitive decline as additional primary conditions that would benefit from targeted supplementing.

The vital nutrients the researchers pointed to in addressing these health conditions included B-vitamins, Choline, probiotics, Lutein and Zeaxanthin, Vitamin D and Calcium.

The council estimated $98 billion would be saved over seven years by simply introducing a supplementing regimen that included the most critical nutrients. 

A single nutrient can have dramatic results

According to many academic researchers, the idea of saving money and lives with increased supplementing doesn't even have to include an entire supplementing regimen. Some have stressed how a single nutrient can save money and lives.

A study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology in August 2019 determined the health benefits of more widespread supplementing of a single nutrient—probiotics—would amount to more than $1 billion in annual healthcare savings in America alone.

It is worth noting that the savings realized in this study (from improved gut and immune health) is separate from the even greater savings that could be realized when diet, sleep, exercise and other gut-improvement steps are taken.

This is important to understand because experts acknowledge that it is difficult to get populations to change lifestyle habits; however, getting people to supplement is relatively easy!

Hopefully, widespread adoption of supplements to help lower rates of the world's most common diseases is right around the corner. Until then, at least attitudes have changed regarding the value supplements provide in the modern world.

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Sources: FoodSupplementsEurope.org (PDF), Council for Responsible Nutrition, Frontiers in Pharmacology.