Multivitamin-mineral supplements in the older Americans Act Nutrition Program: Not a one-size-fits-all quick fix

M.V. Marra and N.S. Wellman

American Journal of Public Health, 2008, vol. 98, issue 7, 1171-1176

Abstract: We challenge the suggestion of Congress that the Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Program should provide multivitamin-mineral supplements (MVMs) in addition to meals. MVMs are not a quick fix for poor diets. They do not contain calories, protein, essential fatty acids, or fiber, nor do they adequately address nutritional gaps of some vitamins and minerals. Older adults with chronic health conditions who take multiple medications are at greater risk than the general healthy population for nutrient-drug interactions and toxicity. The OAA Nutrition Program is not an appropriate venue to indiscriminately distribute MVMs, because there is insufficient evidence of their benefits and safety. The program's limited funds and efforts should instead be directed to nutrient-dense healthy meals, quality food service, and greater accessibility to individualized nutrition services.

Date: 2008
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2007.122762

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2007.122762_7

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.122762

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().