Dietary supplements are vitamins, minerals, herbs and other substances meant to improve your diet. They can come as pills, capsules, powders and liquids. Supplements do not have to go through the testing that drugs do.
Some supplements can play an important role in health. For example, pregnant women can take the vitamin folic acid to prevent certain birth defects in their babies. Taking supplements can also be a type of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM).
To take a supplement as safely as possible
- Tell your doctor about any dietary supplements you use
- Do not take a bigger dose than the label recommends
- Stop taking it if you have side effects
- Read trustworthy information about the supplement
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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Dietary Supplements: Background Information
(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/DietarySupplements.asp
- FDA 101: Dietary Supplements(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/supplements080408.html
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What's in the Bottle? An Introduction to Dietary Supplements(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/bottle/
Also available in Spanish http://nccam.nih.gov/espanol/suplementosdieteticos/
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Dietary and Herbal Supplements(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/supplements.htm
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Dietary Supplements(Food and Drug Administration) - Links to PDF - http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/pdfs/supplements.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/Spanish/supplements-Spanish.html
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Dietary Supplements Labels Database(National Library of Medicine) - http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov/
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MedlinePlus: Herbs and Supplements(Natural Standard) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/herb_All.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/druginfo/herb_All.html
- What Are Dietary Supplements?(Iowa State University, University Extension) - http://www.extension.iastate.edu/nutrition/supplements/
- Dietary Supplements May Pose Risk to Older Cancer Survivors(08/21/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68422.html
- Creatine Has Negligible Effect on COPD Exercise Rehab(08/01/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_67674.html
- FDA Requests Recall of Xiadafil VIP Tabs(07/24/2008, Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01864.html
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Botanical Dietary Supplements: Background Information(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/BotanicalBackground.asp
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Colloidal Silver Products(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/alerts/silver/index.htm
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Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/Information_About_Individual_Dietary_Supplements.aspx
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Introduction to Probiotics(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/probiotics/index.htm
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Trace Elements: What They Do and Where to Get Them(Texas Heart Institute) - http://texasheart.org/HIC/Topics/HSmart/trace1.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://texasheart.org/HIC/Topics_Esp/HSmart/trace_sp.cfm
- Dietary Supplements: Adverse Event Reporting(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-rept.html
- Dietary Supplements: How to Know What Is Safe(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3x_How_to_Know_What_Is_Safe_Choosing_and_Using_Dietary_Supplements.asp
- FDA 101: How to Use the Consumer Complaint System and MedWatch(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/reporting061008.html
- Frequently Asked Questions about USP Verification Program for Dietary Supplements(United States Pharmacopeial Convention) - http://www.usp.org/USPVerified/dietarySupplements/faq.html
- How to Read a Supplement Label(Iowa State University, University Extension) - http://www.extension.iastate.edu/nutrition/supplements/labeling.php
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Tips for the Savvy Supplement User: Making Informed Decisions and Evaluating Information(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-savvy.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/sds-savv.html
- Use Caution Buying Medical Products Online(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/105_buy.html
- USP Verified Dietary Supplements(United States Pharmacopeial Convention) - http://www.usp.org/USPVerified/dietarySupplements/
- Warnings and Safety Information(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-warn.html
- What Dietary Supplements Are You Taking? Does Your Health Care Provider Know? It Matters, and Here's Why(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-take.html
- What You Should Know about Herbal and Dietary Supplement Use and Anesthesia(American Society of Anesthesiologists) - Links to PDF - http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/herbPatient.pdf
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Trace Elements(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Trace+Elements%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dietary Supplements(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=dietary+supplements
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: I read that coronary artery calcium increases the risk for... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18697237&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Probiotic yogurt for the treatment of minimal hepatic encephalopathy. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18691193&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Assessing vitamin D contents in foods and supplements: challenges and... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18689400&tool=MedlinePlus
- Dietary Supplements -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=dietary+supplements[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Find a Nutrition Professional(American Dietetic Association) - http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_4874_ENU_HTML.htm
- Nutrient Lists(Dept. of Agriculture) - Links to PDF - http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition - http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/
- Food and Nutrition Information Center - http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
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National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine - http://nccam.nih.gov/
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National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/
- Dietary Supplements/Food Labeling Electronic Newsletter(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fda-dsfl.html
- Dietary Supplements: General Resources for Consumers(Food and Nutrition Information Center) - http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/pubs/bibs/gen/dietarysupplementsconsumers06.pdf
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International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) Database(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/health_information/ibids.aspx
- Claims That Can Be Made for Conventional Foods and Dietary Supplements(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/hclaims.html
- Dietary Supplements: Overview(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html
- FDA Law Enforcers Protect Consumers' Health(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/oci072307.html
- Responses to Questions about Codex and Dietary Supplements(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dscodex.html
- Buying Fake ED Products Online(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/erectiledysfunction010408.html
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Dietary Supplements(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/supplements.htm
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Tips for Older Dietary Supplement Users(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-savv2.html
Also available in Spanish http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/sds-sav2.html
- Antioxidants - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antioxidants.html
- Calcium - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/calcium.html
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/complementaryandalternativemedicine.html
- Folic Acid - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/folicacid.html
- Herbal Medicine - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbalmedicine.html
- Vitamins - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamins.html
- Complementary and Alternative Therapies - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/complementaryandalternativetherapies.html
- Food and Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodandnutrition.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Dietary Supplements is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/