Dietary Supplement Resource Library

Last updated April 2024. 

In combination with a healthy diet and active lifestyle, dietary supplements address consumers’ specific dietary needs and play an important role in supporting their overall health and wellness throughout life. Explore our list of resources to learn more about the category and how it is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

CHPA Resources

Fact Sheet: Dietary Supplements as Regulated Products

CHPA

A fact sheet detailing the regulation of dietary supplements in the United States, including the primary responsibilities of the FDA and FTC.

FAQs About Dietary Supplements Regulations

CHPA

A series of answers to all your questions around how dietary supplements are regulated in the United States. 

CHPA Best Practices: Voluntary Codes and Guidelines

CHPA

A collection of voluntary programs, quality guidelines, and advertising best practices for specific dietary ingredients and issues, established by CHPA and its member companies. Topics include: 

• Probiotics 
• St. John’s Wort
• Kava 
• Stimulant Laxatives
• Caffeine
• Goldenseal
• Lady’s Slipper
• Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
• Pregnancy and Nursing 

Explaining the Regulatory Framework for Dietary Supplements

CHPA

Blog post detailing the regulatory framework for dietary supplements, and how government, manufacturers, and retailers all play a key role.

How to Be an Informed Dietary Supplements Shopper

Health in Hand Foundation

An article explaining how consumers can identify appropriate supplements based on the Supplement Facts label, claims, and more.

Additional Resources

General Information

Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health

DHHS. NIH. Office of Dietary Supplements

• Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets: These overviews of dietary supplement ingredients (including vitamins, minerals, and botanicals) are written in English and Spanish for varied audiences, including researchers, health care providers, and consumers.
• Dietary Reference Intakes: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) is the general term for a set of reference values used to plan and assess nutrient intakes of healthy people according to age and gender.

FDA "Supplement Your Knowledge" Education Initiative 

Supplement Your Knowledge is a collaboration between FDA and the American Medical Association (AMA) to create videos and materials to educate healthcare professionals and consumers about dietary supplements. Topics include how supplements are defined, regulated, and labeled; potential interactions with other supplements, medications, and laboratory tests; and adverse events and how to report them.

Special Features:  

• Materials to help healthcare professionals counsel patients about supplements
• Curriculum for teachers
• Consumer-friendly videos and handouts
• Social media tool kits

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

NCCIH conducts research and provides information about complementary health products, including dietary supplements, for health care professionals and consumers.

Special Features:  

• Herbs at a Glance: A series of brief fact sheets that provides basic information about specific herbs or botanicals, including common names, what the science says, potential side effects and cautions, and resources for more information.
• HerbList app: HerbList provides free access to science-based summaries on more than 50 popular herbs, and includes information on the herbs’ common names, uses, potential side effects or drug interactions, and what the science says about their effectiveness for health purposes

Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS)

Uniformed Services University, Consortium for Health and Military Performance

OPSS educates service members and retirees, their family members, healthcare providers, and Department of Defense civilians about dietary supplements and gives them tools to be informed supplement users — or non-users.

Dietary Supplements: Medline Plus

U.S. National Library of Medicine           

Browse dietary supplements and herbal remedies to learn about their effectiveness, usual dosage, and drug interactions.

Drug-Nutrient Interactions and Drug-Supplement Interactions

American Academy of Family Physicians

Learn about how food, drugs, and supplements interact. These Tips for Talking to Your Doctor can help you discuss supplements with your doctor.

Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements

DHHS. FDA. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Resources and important information for consumers about dietary supplements.

Special Features:  

• How to Report a Problem with Dietary Supplements: If you think that a dietary supplement may have caused you a serious reaction or illness, immediately stop using the product and fill out a safety report through the Safety Reporting Portal to submit your complaint to FDA.
• Tips for Dietary Supplement Users: Tips and resources to help consumers become savvy dietary supplement users.
• Questions & Answers about Dietary Supplements: Basic information and answers to the frequently asked questions consumers may have around dietary supplements.

WebMD Vitamins & Supplements Center

WebMD

Search vitamins and supplements by name to learn about uses, side effects, precautions, interactions, dosing, and reviews. Additional tools are available to search by health condition and assess vitamin needs.

Quality and Regulatory

Dietary Supplements: US Food & Drug Administration

DHHS. FDA. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)

A general overview of dietary supplements and their regulation by the CFSAN. Other resources on dietary supplements from CFSAN include:  

• Label Claims for Conventional Foods and Dietary Supplements
• Information for Industry on Dietary Supplements
• Q&A on Dietary Supplements
• Responses to Questions About Codex and Dietary Supplements

Dietary Supplements, NSF International

NSF International

NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides guidance and training on quality standards, product certification, regulatory compliance, and risk management for professionals in the dietary supplement industry. Search “Dietary Supplements” in the Knowledge Library for articles and publications. 

U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) Dietary Supplements Compendium

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc.

Independent, science-based public health organization and official public standards-setting authority for all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and other healthcare products manufactured and sold in the U.S. Available for purchase.

Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD)

DHHS. NIH. Office of Dietary Supplements; National Library of Medicine.

Online database for manufacturers' complete label information for a selection of on-market and off-market dietary supplement products. Find product information, dietary supplement facts, label statements, and contact information.

Best Practices and Guidelines

Dietary Supplements: FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance

Federal Trade Commission

All companies — including marketers of dietary supplements — must comply with truth-in-advertising standards. This publication explains how to ensure that claims have appropriate scientific support.

Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) for Dietary Supplements

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Dietary supplement manufacturers are required to meet FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices to ensure the products consumers buy are safe and meet high quality standards.

Standardized Information on Dietary Ingredients (SIDI)

SIDI Work Group

A series of resources and voluntary guidelines to help dietary supplement manufacturers satisfy U.S. current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for dietary supplements (21 CFR Part 111). 
 

Science and Research

Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health

DHHS. NIH. Office of Dietary Supplements.

• Computer Access to Research on Dietary Supplements (CARDS): This searchable database provides information on federally funded research projects pertaining to dietary supplements.
• Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID): This database provides estimated levels of ingredients in dietary supplement products sold in the United States.
• ODS Population Studies Program: The Population Studies Program evaluates the use of dietary supplements by the U.S. population and specific population subgroups and the contributions that dietary supplements make to nutritional status. In addition to searching scientific publications, you may wish to contact market research companies that provide sales and marketing data for the nutrition industry.

American Botanical Council

American Botanical Council

An independent research and education organization dedicated to providing reliable science-based and traditional information for consumers, healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators, industry professionals, and the media.