Routine use of vitamins and minerals in elderly patients not supported
by evidence
There is insufficient evidence to support the routine use of multivitamin and mineral supplements to reduce infections in elderly people but further research is warranted, a new study shows.
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of eight randomised controlled
trials, although an inconsistency in the outcome measures meant that
only a proportion of the studies could be analysed for each variable.
The researchers note that although previous studies have shown that supplementation
with different nutrients improves immune status in elderly people, many
used vaccine responses and surrogate markers of immune response as outcome
measures, and the clinical importance of these findings is still a subject
of debate. The new analysis shows that the mean annual number of days
spent with infection was reduced by 17.5 in patients taking multivitamins
and minerals compared with placebo (three studies, P<0.001).
However, overall, the evidence was of poor to moderate quality, heterogeneous
and conflicting, say the researchers. They also note that levels of reporting
of adverse effects were poor.
The researchers say that the results are sufficiently encouraging to
warrant further studies in this area and recommend a multi-arm trial
comparing different doses of micronutrients with a minimum follow-up
of 12 months (published on BMJ
Online First). |
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