Analysis of oral dietary supplement use in rural older adults.
Marcia Y Shade, Matthew Witry, Katie Robinson and 1 others
PMID 30589152WHAT IT FOUND
83% of rural older adults taking prescription medicines used supplements, often with medicines that can interact.
Ask patients to bring all supplement bottles and review them with their medication list.
Key findings
01Of 138 rural older adults taking at least three prescription medicines, 83% used at least one oral dietary supplement.
02More than half of participants took vitamin D with cholesterol-lowering agents; among omega-3 fish oil users, 65% also took 81mg aspirin and 12% used vitamin E.
03Participants reported taking supplements to maintain health, manage joint or arthritis pain, prevent urinary tract infections, and maintain gastrointestinal flora.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample of primarily Caucasian older adults from the rural Midwest, so it may not represent older adults in other regions or backgrounds. Participants were asked to bring all supplements, but some may not have brought all of them, so supplement use may be undercounted. The study did not assess dosing schedules or total dietary intake, so it cannot say whether supplement amounts were appropriate or excessive. It was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data, so it cannot show that supplements caused interactions or health effects. More frail or ill older adults may not have participated, so the sample may be healthier than the wider rural population.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that supplements caused adverse events or that all rural older adults use unsafe combinations. The study reports supplement use and possible interactions, not measured harm, in a convenience sample from one rural region.