[Article in German]

Wirth R.

Klinik für Akutgeriatrie, St. Marien-Hospital Borken. rainer.wirth@hospital-borken.de
In Germany sales of vitamin and trace element supplements are 1,2 billion Euros per year. In the light of this dimension and the increasing tendency toward food fortification, medicine and nutritional science have to state their point of view, where supplementation is useful, where it might be useful, and where it is useless or possibly dangerous. Supposing a balanced diet, nutritional requirements are covered in adults. Only in the area of calcium, folic acid, iodine, and vitamin D a gap in supplies can be discovered in average nutrition. Those requirements should be covered with a balanced diet. The intention of supplementation in this field is the potential health benefit of a requirement-exceeding supplementation. Especially antioxidants are sometimes suggested to have such effects. From a scientific view a general recommendation, especially for multivitamin supplementation, cannot be given. In contrast to young adults, elderly persons frequently suffer from single or general micronutrient deficiencies. The intention of supplementation in this field is the coverage of nutritional requirements and the therapy of specific nutritional deficiencies, which should be compensated, even though scientific evidence in some fields is weak.

PMID: 1680254