Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) Will Capture Information from Dietary Supplement (DS) Labels

Abstract

>;50,000 different DS products are offered for sale in the U.S. and ~50% of adults consume DS regularly.ObjectiveTo develop a public and user searchable database containing label information from virtually all DS products offered for sale in the U.S., with a Web‐based user interface providing ready access to the data.MethodAn ad hoc Federal Working Group provides guidance on the collection, classification, and handling of information from DS labels.ResultsDatabase information reflects what is printed on product labels and is publicly available through the National Library of Medicine (NLM) web portal. The name and form of active and inactive ingredients, amount(s) of active ingredient(s), and information about the manufacturer/distributor of products, label claims, warning statements, and percent of daily value will be captured, along with a photograph of the label. Software applications will eventually be added that will permit simple and enhanced search options enabling users to locate specific terms in any DS label field, along with a user interface designed to help users quickly find and sort information and links to other databases such as MedlinePlus®, PubMed® and NIH fact sheets.ConclusionDSLD will serve as a resource for population‐based surveys and other epidemiological studies. Funding: Office of Dietary Supplements and National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health