The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than half of adults in the United States regularly take some sort of dietary supplement, such as vitamins or herbal remedies.
In an effort to help Americans and researchers easily find product and ingredient information for dietary supplements, the National Institutes of Health launched the Dietary Supplement Label Database today.
The database contains information on about 17,000 dietary supplements, and developers plan to update it regularly to expand its listing to include the more than 55,000 commercial products available for purchase in the U.S. The database can also be accessed on mobile devices using the My Dietary Supplements (MyDS) app.
Paul Coates, PhD, director of the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, commented on how the database will benefit researchers and the public in a release:
This database will be of great value to many diverse groups of people, including nutrition researchers, healthcare providers, consumers, and others. For example, research scientists might use the Dietary Supplement Label Database to determine total nutrient intakes from food and supplements in populations they study.
Features of the database include:
- Quick Search: Search for any ingredient or specific text on a label.
- Search for Dietary Ingredients: An alphabetical list of ingredients is also provided.
- Search for Specific Products: An alphabetical list of products is also provided.
- Browse Contact Information: Search by supplement manufacturer or distributor.
- Advanced Search: Provides options for expanding a search by using a combination of search options including dietary ingredient, product/brand name, health-related claims, and label statements.
Previously: NIH hosts Facebook chat on science and safety of herbal supplements, Caution advised for cancer patients who take herbal supplements, Roughly 9 percent of U.S. moms give infants herbal supplements and Older adults increasingly turning to complementary medicine
Photo by Lauren Silverman
