About The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

Origin and Mandate
Research and Programs
Strategic Plan
Conferences and Workshops
ODS Gift Fund
ODS Staff

Origin and Mandate

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-417, DSHEA), authorized the establishment of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the NIH. The ODS was created in 1995 within the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP), Office of the Director (OD), NIH.

DSHEA defined the purpose and responsibilities of ODS as follows:

To explore more fully the potential role of dietary supplements as a significant part of the efforts of the United States to improve health care.
To promote scientific study of the benefits of dietary supplements in maintaining health and preventing chronic disease and other health-related conditions.
To conduct and coordinate scientific research within NIH relating to dietary supplements.
To collect and compile the results of scientific research relating to dietary supplements, including scientific data from foreign sources.
To serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary and to the Assistant Secretary for Health and provide advice to the Director of NIH, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration on issues relating to dietary supplements.

One of the purposes in creating the ODS was to promote scientific research in the area of dietary supplements. Dietary supplements can have an impact on the prevention of disease and on the maintenance of health. In the US, these ingredients are usually defined as including plant extracts, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and hormonal products that are available without prescription and are consumed in addition to the regular diet. Although vitamin and mineral supplements have been available for decades, their health effects have been the subject of detailed scientific research only within the last 15-20 years. It is important to expand this research to include the health effects of other bioactive factors consumed as supplements to promote health and prevent disease.

Considerable research on the effects of botanical and herbal dietary supplements has been conducted in Asia and Europe where plant products have a long tradition of use. The overwhelming majority of these supplements, however, have not been studied using modern scientific techniques. Nor have they been extensively studied in population groups that may be at risk for chronic diseases.

For many reasons, therefore, it is important to enhance research efforts to determine the benefits and risks of dietary supplements.

Research and Programs

The ODS does not have granting authority and, therefore, largely provides research funding through collaboration with the NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) in support of basic and clinical studies addressing dietary supplements. Through this process, grant applications that are reviewed through the standard NIH review process and fall within the research priority areas of the ODS, can be submitted to the ODS for co-funding. ODS also uses other available mechanisms (such as cooperative agreements, interagency agreements and contracts) to meet its goals. (Research and Programs)

The ODS has several program areas:

Evidence-based reviews of efficacy and safety of dietary supplements that ODS and its IC partners use to define target areas for future research.
A program of dietary supplement research centers focused on botanicals, in collaboration with NCCAM, NIEHS, and other ICs and Offices.
Collaboration with ICs on intervention studies that use specific well-defined dietary supplements, including botanicals, as major variables.
A training and career development program for the preparation of scientists in a variety of disciplines to address emerging problems of dietary supplement research.
Databases of dietary supplement ingredients, developed in collaboration with other Federal agencies, to support surveys of dietary supplement intake and exposure.
Analytical methods and reference materials program.
Consumer-oriented products, including Fact Sheets, databases of dietary supplement research activities and literature citations.

Strategic Planning

ODS initiated a strategic planning process in 2003 that included input on future needs and opportunities from all interested parties. The goals and initiatives in this plan for 2004-2009, just as those developed in the original plan in 1998, emphasize the important role of ODS in research on disease prevention and health promotion, education, and communication of scientific information about dietary supplements. The plan for 2004-2009 provides a roadmap intended to catalyze research that will expand the scientific knowledge base to improve health of the public.

"Promoting Quality Science in Dietary Supplement Research, Education and Communication: A Strategic Plan for the Office of Dietary Supplements 2004-2009" is now available at http://ods.od.nih.gov/strategicplan2004 (PDF, 193kB). [view press release]

Copies of the printed version will be available later this year. Check the Web site for information on how to receive a copy (http://ods.od.nih.gov/).

Conferences and Workshops

The ODS plans, organizes, and supports conferences, workshops, and symposia on scientific topics related to dietary supplements. The ODS works with other NIH Institutes and Centers, other government agencies, professional organizations, and public advocacy groups. Conference goals are to identify gaps in scientific knowledge and establish a realistic research agenda to address these gaps. (Conferences and Workshops)

ODS Gift Fund

Although the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) is a Federally funded organization and not a fund-raising organization, as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) it can accept donations and bequests to support the mission of the Office. Donations to the ODS are handled in our Gift Fund account which is separate from the appropriation that NIH receives from Congress. Since our basic operating expenses and administrative costs are paid from the NIH appropriation, all donations to the ODS are used for special projects in support of dietary supplement research and research-related activities.

The projects supported through the Gift Fund may vary from year to year depending on the needs of the Office. The following is a partial list of areas that may be supported through the Gift Fund:

Special awards to young scientists and new investigators in dietary supplement research;
Workshops/Conferences on subjects of special importance to dietary supplement research;
Cofunding with NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) of investigator-initiated grant applications that have received high priority scores when reviewed by the IC; and
Research projects initiated by the ODS and conducted in partnership with the ICs or vice versa.

Note that funds to support research cannot be earmarked for specific projects or investigations, but funds can be specified for use in particular broad categories of dietary supplement research, for example, vitamin research, mineral research, botanical supplement research. In response to inquiries regarding how to make a donation to the gift fund, a contribution can be made to the ODS by sending a check or money order payable to "Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)" addressed to:

The Director
Office of Dietary Supplements
National Institutes of Health
6100 Executive Blvd., Room 3B01, MSC 7517
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7517
Rockville, Maryland 20852 (Use only for courier services such as FedEx, UPS & Airborne)

A letter should be sent along with the check indicating that the donation is to be used for research at the ODS. If a contribution is to be made as a memorial, please indicate the name of the deceased as well as a name and address of the individual to whom an acknowledgment can be sent. All donors are acknowledged as well.

If you are considering a bequest in a will, the will should show the address of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) to avoid confusion about your intentions. Again, the will should indicate that the bequest is to be used to support the research of the ODS.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to call the ODS at (301) 435-2920 or write to the address listed above.

ODS Staff

For more information on the ODS program, contact:

Paul M. Coates, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Dietary Supplements
National Institutes of Health
Suite 3B01
6100 Executive Boulevard
Bethesda, MD 20892-7517
Phone: 301-435-2920
FAX: 301-480-1845
E-mail: ods@nih.gov
Website: http://ods.od.nih.gov

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Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets

IBIDS Database -- International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements

CARDS Database -- Computer Access to Research on Dietary Supplements

ODS Newsletter/ListServ