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Fact Sheet
Dietary Supplements Labels Database

Wheat, bottle with label, and yellow capsules representing brands
Mortar and pestle, sometimes used in preparation of dietary supplements
Bottles and boxes on shelves representing manufacturers

The Dietary Supplements Labels Database http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov includes information from the labels of over 6,000 dietary supplement products in the marketplace, including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and other specialty supplements.

Designed to help both the general public and health care providers find information about ingredients in brand-name products, the database includes name, form, active and inactive ingredients, amount of active ingredient, manufacturer/distributor information, label claims, warnings, percentage of daily value, and additional label information. The database can be searched by product names, text terms found on product labels, specific dietary ingredients, and manufacturers, and helps answer the following typical questions:

  • What are the ingredients shown on labels of specific products?
  • Which products claim to contain specific chemical ingredients?
  • What fraction of daily recommended nutrients is provided by a specific product?
  • Can I compare the amount of a specific nutrient between products?
  • What are inactive ingredients in each product?
  • Which products do not contain animal products?
  • Can I find studies that indicate the proven medical benefits of specific ingredients?
  • Can I find information on the toxicity of specific ingredients?
  • Who manufactures a specific product? How do I contact this manufacturer?
  • What other information is available about chemicals in the toxicology-related databases of the National Library of Medicine?

Ingredients of dietary supplements in this database are linked to other National Library of Medicine databases such as MedlinePlus® and PubMed® to allow users to investigate the dietary ingredients and view biomedical literature pertaining to them. In addition, links to related fact sheets from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are also included.

While information is provided on health benefits as claimed on the label by manufacturers, these claims by manufacturers have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Warnings and Recalls from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), related to specific ingredients and supplement brands have also been included.

The database is provided in conjunction with the Office of Dietary Supplements at NIH as part of an ongoing project to develop a comprehensive information resource on dietary supplements labels.

For more detailed information about the Dietary Supplements Labels Database, contact:

Specialized Information Services
National Library of Medicine
Two Democracy Plaza, Suite 510
6707 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 5467
Bethesda, MD 20892-5467
Telephone: (301) 496-1131
e-mail: tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov
URL: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov

For general information on the Library's computerized information services, including the Dietary Supplements Labels Database, contact:

National Library of Medicine
Customer Service
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
Telephone: 1-888-FINDNLM (1-888-346-3656)
e-mail: custserv@nlm.nih.gov
NLM Customer Service Form at http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/mainweb/siebel/nlm/index.cfm

A complete list of NLM Fact Sheets is available at:
(alphabetical list) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/factsheets.html
(subject list): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/factsubj.html

Or write to:

FACT SHEETS
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20894

Phone: (301) 496-6308
Fax: (301) 496-4450
email: publicinfo@nlm.nih.gov