Health-Care Spending Soars Spurred by hospital and prescription drug costs, health- care spending rose 9.3% in 2002, to about $5,440 for every American. Spending on health care outpaced spending in other areas of the U.S. economy for the fourth consecutive year. Leading the surge was spending for prescription drugs, which was15.3% higher than in Hospital spending rose 9.5%, because of higher wages, a higher use of hospital services, and hospitals' ability to negotiate prices with health plans. "This continued acceleration injects pressure into the health care system, and everyone -- from businesses, to government, to consumers -- is affected,"

Consumer Health Nutrition, Fads, Fallacies, and Scams

Food faddism and quackery Dietary supplements Nutrition fallacies Reliable information sources

Extent of Use Supplement users tend to be: older, female, educated, have a normal body mass index, be smokers, engage in exercise and eat a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables. The study asked 61,000 men and women, aged 50 to 76, about their use of herbal and dietary supplements along with multivitamins and individual vitamin and mineral intake Use to reduce risks

Extent of Use High school students Multiple vitamin: 80% Vitamin C: 90% College students Supplements such as creatine and androstenedione: 17% Most used: Echinacea, ginseng, and St. John’s wort

Extent of Use Journal American College Health Satisfaction with bodies (specifically muscles or musculature) Muscle esteem Product users tend to exhibit more comfort and confidence with their musculature (muscle esteem) than non-users

Food Faddism and Quackery Definition An unusual, enthusiastically adopted pattern of food behavior or “Hygienic religion” Characteristics Belief of special curative properties Belief of harmful components Emphasis on “natural” foods

Consequences Health Delay or failure to seek legitimate care Failure to continue essential treatment Undesirable drug-nutrient interactions Effects of nutrient toxicities or toxic components Interference with sound nutrition education and practices Economic Needless purchases Health care costs

Dietary Supplements Contains one or more of the following vitamin; mineral; herb or other botanical; amino acid; dietary substance to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake; concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract; or combination of any of the previously described ingredients

Dietary Supplements Intended for ingestion in a tablet, capsule, powder, softgel, gelcap, or liquid form Labeled as a dietary supplement Cannot be represented for use as a conventional food or as a sole item of a meal or diet Cannot include an article that is approved as a drug or biologic

Nutrition Fallacies Nutrition insurance Food processing “Stress” supplements Antioxidante & other phytochemicals “Natural” vs synthetic Amino acids Megavitamins Vegatarianism Dangers of excess

Organic foods versus conventional foods $9,000,000,000 in sales in 2002 USDA National Organic Standards No evidence of being safer or better Difference is way grown and processed Grown with lower levels of pesticides Methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water

ADA’s Questions to Ask What are the supplement’s claims, and are they valid? How do the ingredients work in the body? How much of the ingredient does the supplement contain? Is there scientific evidence to support the claims? How much of the supplement do you need to take? Is the cost worth the benefit?

Appropriate Use of Supplements Pregnant women Use with physician consult Avoid herbal supplements Women (possibly calcium) Prolonged weight loss diet <1,200 cal. Children Elderly Always with balanced diet

Reliable Information Sources Food and Nutrition Information Center Facts about Dietary Supplements Dietary Supplements: General Resources for Consumers Overview of dietary supplements, appropriate use, regulation, level of research behind certain claims, and cautionary info

Reliable Information Sources The Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

Reliable Information Sources American Dietetics Association Tufts University Nutrition Navigator Nutrition News Focus Food Reflections

Reliable Information Sources Computer Access to Research on Dietary Supplements (CARDS) Database Database of federally funded research projects pertaining to dietary supplements

Summary Food faddism and quackery Dietary supplements Nutrition fallacies Reliable information sources