Dietary supplement use in older people attending memory clinics in Australia

Amanda Cross, J. George, Michael Clifford Woodward, David Ames, Henry Brodaty, Rohan A. Elliott

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7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Dietary supplement use is common in older adults. There has been limited research in people attending memory clinics. Objectives: To explore the use of dietary supplements in older people attending Australian memory clinics. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Prospective Research In MEmory clinics (PRIME) study. Participants: Community-dwelling older people who attended nine memory clinics and had a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Measurements: Dietary supplement was defined as a product that contains one or more: vitamin, mineral, herb or other botanical, amino acid or other dietary substance. Non-prescribed supplement was defined as a supplement that is not usually prescribed by a medical practitioner. Polypharmacy was defined as use of five or more medications. Results: 964 patients, mean age 77.6 years, were included. Dietary supplements were used by 550 (57.1%) patients; 353 (36.6%) used two or more. Non-prescribed supplements were used by 364 (36.8%) patients. Supplement use was associated with older age (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.21), lower education level (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.01-2.32) and a diagnosis of MCI rather than dementia (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.05-2.21). Potential drug-supplement interactions were identified in 107 (11.1%) patients. Supplement users had increased prevalence of polypharmacy compared to non-users (80.5% vs. 48.1%, p

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)46-50
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Nutrition, Health and Aging
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2017

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