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| Winter 2014 |
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Energy Drinks Get a Thorough Pouring-Over at Summer Workshop
The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) co-sponsored workshop titled The Use and Biology of Energy Drinks: Current Knowledge and Critical Gaps, was held August 15–16, 2013, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It focused on the popular beverages and liquid dietary supplements marketed as promoting alertness, concentration, energy, weight loss, athletic performance, and stamina. More than 100 workshop attendees heard presentations and engaged in discussions of the main topics of interest: the patterns of energy-drink use in the U.S. population and population subgroups, and the actual physiological effects of these products on the human body, as compared to claims about them, and on sleep, mood, and behavior.
The ODS Web site provides details of the workshop, including a summary and the PowerPoint presentations from many of the speakers.
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Symposium Addresses Need to Standardize Laboratory Measurement of Vitamin D
ODS co-sponsored the Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) Symposium: Tools to Improve Laboratory Measurement on November 14, 2013, to present the components and goals of the VDSP. Other co-sponsors were the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, and the Partnership for the Accurate Testing of Hormones. Held under the auspices of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, the symposium took place on the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, MD.
Symposium participants—approximately 100 in person and more than 200 via Webinar—included representatives from commercial assay manufacturers; commercial, clinical, and research laboratory personnel; vitamin D researchers; and members of professional societies with clinical and public health interest in vitamin D.
The ODS Web site provides details of the workshop, including the agenda and PowerPoint presentations from many of the speakers.
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| News You Can Use |
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NIH Special Interest Group on Dietary Supplements Established
A new Special Interest Group (SIG) on dietary supplements has been created at NIH by ODS to bring together NIH program officials and intramural investigators interested in studying these products. This Dietary Supplement SIG is open to everyone at NIH and associated agencies (such as the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture) who share an interest in dietary supplement research. The SIG will sponsor a monthly seminar series and hold quarterly meetings as a forum for discussion.
Scholars Program Established for Early-Career Scientists to Study Dietary Supplements
ODS announces a new NIH intramural Research Scholars Program, a competitive scholarship opportunity to study the role of dietary supplements in health promotion and disease prevention. Projects will generally be limited to 1 year of funding and cannot exceed $100,000. This program is targeted to early-career scientists, including tenure-track investigators; early independent scientists; and research, staff, and postdoctoral fellows who have at least 1 year of postdoctoral research experience. Get more information.
8th Annual Dietary Supplement Research Practicum to Be Held June 3–6, 2014
Applications are now being accepted through Monday, March 31, 2014, to attend ODS’ 8th Annual Mary Frances Picciano Dietary Supplement Research Practicum on the NIH campus from Tuesday through Friday, June 3–6, 2014. The practicum provides a comprehensive grounding in issues, concepts, and controversies about supplement products and the ingredients in these products. It also details the importance of scientific investigations to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and value of dietary supplements for health promotion and disease prevention, as well as how to carry out this type of research.
The practicum is open primarily to full-time academic faculty and doctoral-level students in health-related disciplines as well as health care providers and scientists with a master’s degree or higher whose work involves dietary supplements; master’s-level students in health-related programs; and students in professional schools such as medicine, dentistry, and nursing. While there is no cost to attend the practicum, room, board, and transportation expenses are the responsibility of each participant. Get further details about the practicum and how to apply.
ODS Unveils Newly Designed Web Site
The ODS Web site has a new look consistent with the overall style of NIH Web sites yet is responsive to the needs and interests of our users. Also note that ODS has a new logo which visually identifies and unifies the NIH community. We hope you like the appearance of our Web site and find it even easier to find information of interest. Let us know what you think by sending us an email at [email protected].
New Funding Opportunities for Research
ODS collaborates on funding initiatives with other NIH Institutes and Centers and with other agencies through mechanisms such as Requests for Applications, Program Announcements, and Notices. Over the past few months, ODS has signed onto several funding initiatives. Get further details.
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| ODS Staff News |
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Kathryn Camp, M.S., R.D., C.S.P., Cindy Rooney, and Edwina Wambago, M.S., M.P.H., R.D., L.D.N., received Distinguished Achievement Awards from their employer, Kelly Government Solutions, on January 30, 2014, for their work at ODS.
Rebecca Costello, Ph.D., and Carol Haggans, M.S., R.D., received a 2013 Employee Appreciation Award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for their efforts as members of the Nutrition Education Subcommittee. The award recognizes members of the subcommittee “for sustained service providing authoritative reviews of Federal nutrition education and dietary guidance materials, thus providing the public with accurate information to improve their health.” The awards were presented at a ceremony at NIH on January 6, 2014.
Several ODS staff received NIH Office of the Director Honor Awards at a ceremony at NIH on December 4, 2013:
- Richard Bailen, M.B.A., M.H.A., and Johanna Dwyer, D.Sc., R.D., as members of a team “for outstanding contributions to the development and launch of the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.”
- Christopher Sempos, Ph.D., Regan Bailey, Ph.D., R.D., Joseph Betz, Ph.D., and Claudia Faigen, M.A., “for outstanding contributions to the establishment and ongoing development of the ODS Vitamin D Standardization Program.”
ODS Staff Publications
ODS staff members have published papers that address key issues in dietary supplement and related research. Three are highlighted below.
For a complete list, see the ODS Web site: Staff Publications.
- Garcia-Cazarin ML, Wambogo EA, Regan KS, Davis CD: Dietary supplement research portfolio at the NIH, 2009–2011. J Nutr 2014. [Epub ahead of print]
An examination was made of the types of research on dietary supplements and monies spent in fiscal years 2009–2011 throughout NIH generally and ODS in particular. NIH funded a total of $855 million on dietary supplement-related research ($295 million in 2009, $311 million in 2010, and $249 million in 2011). In 2009, ODS provided 3.5 percent of this NIH investment, 3.6 percent in 2010, and 4.1 percent in 2011. Approximately two-thirds of ODS funding focused on research addressing the cellular, enzymatic, and/or molecular mechanisms of action of dietary supplement ingredients or mixtures.
- Berner LA, Keast DR, Bailey RL, Dwyer JT: Fortified foods are major contributors to nutrient intakes in diets of US children and adolescents. J Acad Nutr Diet 2014. [Epub ahead of print]
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were used to examine vitamin and mineral intakes of children ages 2 to 18 from both common food sources and dietary supplements. Without consuming added micronutrients from fortified food products, a high percentage of boys and girls had inadequate intakes of numerous vitamins and minerals, with the greatest inadequacy among adolescent girls. Fortification reduced the percentage of children consuming inadequate amounts of many micronutrients without resulting in excessive intakes.
- Camp KM, Trujillo E: Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Nutritional genomics. J Acad Nutr Diet 2014;114:299–312.
Nutritional genomics is an emerging discipline that holds potential to personalize dietary recommendations that may impact the health of individuals. However, at the present time, its practical applications for treating chronic diseases—and in particular the use of nutrigenetic testing to provide dietary advice—is not ready for use by registered dietitians in practice. Furthermore, registered dietitian nutritionists need basic competency in genetics as a foundation for understanding nutritional genomics; proficiency requires advanced knowledge and skills.
Recent ODS Staff Presentations
For a complete list, see the ODS Web site: Staff Presentations.
- Scripps 11th Annual Natural Supplements: An Evidence-Based Update Conference
January 29–February 1, 2014, San Diego, CA
Rebecca Costello co-presented Point of Care Resources, Dr. Costello and Joseph Betz gave a presentation titled, Into the Future: NIH Dietary Supplement Research Centers and Beyond, and Dr. Betz presented Practicalities of Performing Research: From Funding to Methodology on January 31.
- Johns Hopkins University
December 3, 2013, Baltimore, MD
Regan Bailey presented Micronutrients in Food and Supplements: How Good Is Our US Diet? at a Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Discovery of Vitamins Symposium.
- George Washington University School of Public Health
November 6, 2013, Washington, DC
Paul Thomas gave a lecture titled, Dietary Supplements: Who, What, Why, and How Do We Know? to a graduate class in nutritional epidemiology.
- The Ohio State University
November 1, 2013
Kathryn Camp presented a Webinar talk titled Nutrigenomics, Genetic Tests, and Personalized Nutrition.
- Micronutrient Supplement Summit: What Should Health Professionals Recommend and How Should They Decide?
October 26, 2013, New York, NY
Paul Coates gave a presentation titled, Vulnerable Groups, Shortfall Nutrients, and Micronutrient Basics.
- International Conference on Polyphenols and Health
October 16–19, 2013, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Johanna Dwyer gave a presentation titled, Cranberries, Flavonoids, and Heart Disease on October 18.
- Council for Responsible Nutrition’s Annual Symposium for the Dietary Supplement Industry
September 18–21, 2013, Park City, Utah
Regan Bailey gave a keynote address titled, Are We Formulating Our Supplements Correctly? on September 19.
- 12th Meeting of Consortium for Globalization of Chinese Medicine
August 26–29, 2013, Graz, Austria
On August 27, Paul Coates was the opening speaker and also chaired the Interregional Collaborations in Industry and Academia session.
- American Association of Clinical Chemists (AACC) Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo
July 28–August 1, 2013, Houston, TX
On July 30, Christopher Sempos presented a symposia talk, Measurement and Standardization of Vitamin D Metabolites Using LC-Mass Spectrometry. On July 29, Dr. Sempos co-presented a workshop, Vitamin D: Next Steps in Standardization and Proficiency Testing.
- 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy
July 13–17, 2013, St. Louis, MO
On July 15, Joseph Betz gave a presentation titled, Nature Exposed to Our Method of Questioning: Reliability of Natural Product Measurements. Dr. Betz, Leila Saldanha, Barbara Sorkin, and Paul Coates co-authored and presented a poster, Tools for Assuring Data Quality in Natural Products Studies: The NIH/ODS Analytical Methods and Reference Materials Program (AMRM).
- Science & Technology Policy Fellowships Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
June 27, 2013, Washington, DC
Mary Garcia-Cazarin presented Dietary Supplements and My Experience as an AAAS Fellow.
- United States Pharmacopeia
June 27, 2013, Rockville, MD
Paul Coates gave a talk titled, Dietary Supplement Research: Challenges and Resources.
- International Society of Sports Nutrition Conference and Expo
June 14–15, 2013, Colorado Springs, CO
On June 14, Carol Haggans presented Dietary Supplements and the NIH: Research and Resources.
- United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Mitochondrial Medicine 2013 Scientific Meetings
June 12–15, 2013, Newport Beach, CA
On June 15, Paul Coates gave a presentation titled, Using Dietary Supplements as Treatments for Mitochondrial Disorders: Clinical and Research Challenges.
ODS Media Appearances
Paul Coates was interviewed by writer Shereen Jegtvig of Reuters Health about a scientific review of studies on the effects of vitamin D supplements on bone mineral density. The widely distributed article (titled in The Baltimore Sun, for example, as “Vitamin D supplements may not increase bone density”) was first published on October 29, 2013, and included a quote from Dr. Coates.
Regan Bailey was interviewed by writer and nutritionist Hope Warshaw of The Washington Post about who might benefit from taking a daily multivitamin-mineral dietary supplement. The article, “Nutrients are better on a plate than in a bottle,” published August 13, 2013, highlighted a study authored by Dr. Bailey.
Paul Coates and Carol Haggans were interviewed by editor and writer Vicki Contie and extensively quoted in her front-page article, “Should you take dietary supplements? A look at vitamins, minerals, botanicals and more,” in the August issue of NIH News in Health.
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| Upcoming Events |
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Natural Products Expo West/Engredea 2014
March 7–9, 2014, Anaheim, CA
ODS will have an exhibit at this meeting (Booth #453).
American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting and Exposition
March 28–30, 2014, Orlando, FL
ODS will have an exhibit at this meeting (Booth #216).
Experimental Biology 2014
April 26–29, 2014, San Diego, CA
Several ODS staff will present at this meeting, and ODS will have an exhibit (Booth #416).
AARP National Event and Expo
May 8–10, 2014, Boston, MA
ODS will have an exhibit.
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About ODS
The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the principal biomedical and behavioral research agency of the United States Government. NIH is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Contact Us
Office of Dietary Supplements
National Institutes of Health
6100 Executive Blvd., Room 3B01
Bethesda, MD 20892-7517
Email: [email protected]
Web site: http://ods.od.nih.gov
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