Ever wonder what’s in that vitamin you just popped in your mouth? This week, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Dietary Supplement Label Database, which lists ingredients for over 17,000 vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other dietary supplements. The free-to-use database is targeted toward both consumers and professionals. Consumers can access the database to find out exactly what is in their dietary supplements and use the NIH’s My Dietary Supplements online app for smartphones to track the supplements they use. Scientists, for example, could use the database to determine total nutrient intakes from food and supplements in research study groups.
By law in the United States, dietary supplement manufacturers must carry a Supplement Facts panel that lists its primary and other added ingredients. The Dietary Supplement Label Database contains this information, as well as directions for use, health-related claims, cautions, and much more. In addition, the database has a number of helpful search tools:
- 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.
Information on 17,000 dietary supplements may seem like a lot, but the NIH hopes to continue updating the database to eventually incorporate most of the 55,0000 supplements in the U.S. marketplace.
Press release from the NIH: NIH launches Dietary Supplement Label Database…
Link: NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database…
Link: My Dietary Supplement web app…