 umerous studies have suggested
that natural vitamin E may help reduce the risk of heart disease. This latest
study, published in the August 15, 1998 issue of the American Journal
of Cardiology, examines vitamin E supplementation with a new twist:
how it translates into cost savings. It is the second study in the past
two years showing significant cost savings of taking various antioxidant
supplements, such as vitamin E.
 In the study, researchers at Medical
Technology Assessment Group (M-TAG) and the University of Sydney, in Sydney,
Australia, calculated the financial savings from taking natural vitamin
E supplements, using published data from the Cambridge Heart Antioxidant
Study (CHAOS). In the CHAOS trial (Lancet 1996;347:781-786) a double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial involving 2,002 patients vitamin E reduced nonfatal
heart attack risk by 77 percent.
The Australian researchers compared
cost-effectiveness of vitamin E supplementation with coronary artery disease
in Australian and U.S. health care settings, focusing on nonfatal heart
attacks. They determined cost savings based on the cost of heart attacks
that were avoided by administering natural vitamin E supplements to patients
with atherosclerosis, based on CHAOS findings.
In patients taking vitamin E supplements,
researchers found a cost savings of $578 per patient in the United States,
and a cost savings of $181 per patient in Australia, compared with patients
receiving a placebo. The majority of these savings were due to a reduction
in hospital admissions for nonfatal heart attacks. Costs saved included
bed stays, procedures, and medication.
Multiplying the U.S. savings of $578
by 1 million the number of nonfatal heart attacks estimated each year by
the American Heart Association translates into a potential savings of $578
million.
"Whereas clinical trials seek
to answer the question of whether a therapy is safe and effective, economic
evaluation seeks to answer the broader question of whether it also represents
value for money," the authors state. "This evaluation has explored
the outcomes of the CHAOS trial in terms of value for money and has therefore
enhanced the usefulness of the trial for health care decision makers."
The authors continue, "Our economic
evaluation indicates that vitamin E therapy in patients with angiographically
proven atherosclerosis is cost-effective in the Australian and U.S. settings."
Last year, in a study published in
the Western Journal of Medicine (1997 May; 166:306-312), researchers
calculated cost savings from taking folic acid (a B vitamin) to reduce the
risk of certain birth defects, multivitamins and minerals to reduce the
risk of low birth-weight infants, and vitamin E to reduce the risk of coronary
heart disease. According to the researchers, hospital charges related to
coronary heart disease could be reduced by as much as $5.6 billion annually
for men and women over 50 if large numbers of Americans had consumed at
least 100 IU of vitamin E daily.  | 
compuserve.com.