ODS Population Studies Program

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Program Activities
• Ongoing Collaborations
• Education and Training
• Publications

Overview

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. Research is focused on describing the use of dietary supplements, including specific supplements taken, amount consumed, and duration of use. This program uses data from nationally representative surveys and other large population-based studies to conduct research and characterize emerging issues such as changing patterns in use of these products. Staff also lead efforts to address methodological issues in assessing dietary and dietary-supplement intakes in epidemiological and other large studies.

Program Activities

• Dietary Supplement Use
  • Characterizing supplement use in groups such as infants and toddlers, females of reproductive age, pregnant women, and older adults
  • Evaluating dietary supplement use in relation to demographics, lifestyle, health status, and disease risk
  • Estimating total nutrient intakes from all sources, including foods, beverages, and dietary supplements
     
• Nutritional Status in the U.S. Population 
  • Monitoring vitamin D status  
  • Assessing iodine intake and status and identifying new biomarkers of iodine status
  • Evaluating intakes of folate and vitamin B12 and associated biomarker status
  • Investigating iron status of pregnant women and their infants
     
• Methodological Issues in Assessing Dietary Supplement Use
  • Examining various food frequency questionnaires used in studies to compare how they assess dietary supplement use.
  • Analyzing how dietary-supplement use by lactating women may affect the nutritional composition of their milk in the Human Milk Composition study being conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services
     
• Development and Use of Assessment Tools
  • Collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on developing new methods in NHANES to collect information on the use of infant formula and its composition as stated on product labels
  • Partnering with CDC on determining best methods to assess iodine intake from foods and salt
  • Consulting on issues related to dietary assessment in studies of pregnancy and offspring that have been completed or are being planned. These include:
    • The Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program being coordinated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    • The Infant Feeding Practices Study III being conducted by CDC
  • Providing input on the best approaches for dietary assessment and research needs in the following efforts:
    • The All of Us Research Program at the NIH
    • Dietary Guidelines for Americans planning guide
       
• Development and Use of Validated Biomarkers of Nutrient Exposure and Status
  • Working with a laboratory at the CDC National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) to develop new biomarkers of omega-3 fatty acids in blood and forms of folate in red blood cells
  • Working with the CDC NCEH to develop new tests for markers of inflammation and iron status, which may be used on archived samples of blood from infants and children from the National Children’s Study and new studies of infants in  NHANES. 
  • Collaborating with the CDC Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity to identify biomarkers of iodine status

Ongoing Collaborations

The Population Studies Program interacts and collaborates with these federal agencies to carry out its work: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Office of Disease Prevention (ODP), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Education and Training

The Population Studies Program will provide educational opportunities to individuals (such as summer internships) on methods to assess total nutrient intakes in large population-based studies that incorporate dietary supplement use.

Publications

2023

• Science surrounding the safe use of bioactive ingredients in infant formula: federal comment.
  Vargas AJ, Assar C, Bremer AA, Carlson SJ, Fasano J, Gahche J, Gibbs K, Hansen PA, Lotze A, McKinnon RA, Morissette R, Potischman N, Kotaro K. Pediatr Res. 2023 Feb 9. doi: 10.1038/s41390-023-02512-6. Epub ahead of print. 

2022

• Maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation and DNA methylation patterns in adolescent offspring. 
  Crider KS, Wang A, Ling H, Potischman N, Bailey RL, Lichen Y, Pfeiffer CM, Killian JK, Rose C, Sampson J, Zhu L, Berry RJ, Linet M, Yu W, Su LJ. Maternal periconceptional folic acid supplementation and DNA methylation patterns in adolescent offspring. J Nutr. 2022 Aug 18:nxac184. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxac184. 
• Malnutrition-related conditions and interventions in US state/territorial Older Americans Act aging plans.
  Arensberg MB, Gahche JJ, Dwyer JT, Mosey A, Terzaghi D. Malnutrition-related conditions and interventions in US state/territorial Older Americans Act aging plans. BMC Geriatr 2022;22:664. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03342-7.
• Trends in overall and micronutrient-containing dietary supplement use among U.S. adults and children, NHANES 2007-2018.
  Cowan AE, Tooze JA, Gahche JJ, Eicher-Miller HA, Guenther PM, Dwyer JT, Potischman N, Bhadra A, Carroll RJ, Bailey RL. Trends in overall and micronutrient-containing dietary supplement use among U.S. adults and children, NHANES 2007-2018. J Nutr 2022 Aug 2;nxac168. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxac168. Online ahead of print.
• Have safety and efficacy assessments of bioactives come of age?
  Dwyer JT. Have safety and efficacy assessments of bioactives come of age? Mol Aspects Med 2022 Jul 16;101103. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2022.101103. Online ahead of print.
• A classification system for defining and estimating dietary intake of live microbes in US adults and children.
  Marco ML, Hutkins R, Hill C, Fulgoni VL, Cifelli CJ, Gahche J, Slavin JL, Merenstein D, Tancredi DJ, Sanders ME. A classification system for defining and estimating dietary intake of live microbes in US adults and children. J Nutr 2022;152:1729-36.
• A decade of nutrition and health disparities research at NIH, 2010-2019.
  Brown AGM, Shi S, Adas S, Boyington JEA 2, Cotton PA, Jirles B, Rajapakse N, Reedy J, Regan K, Xi D, Zappalà G, Agurs-Collins T. A decade of nutrition and health disparities research at NIH, 2010-2019. Am J Prev Med 2022;63:e49-e57.
• NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) is robust public resource.
  Betz JM, Saldanha LG, Dwyer JT, Bailen RA. NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) is robust public resource. Natural Products Insider; Apr 07, 2022.
• Databases of iodine content of foods and dietary supplements–availability of new and updated resources.
  Ershow AG, Haggans CJ, Roseland JM, Patterson KY, Spungen JH, Gahche JJ, Merkel JM, Pehrsson PR. Databases of iodine content of foods and dietary supplements–availability of new and updated resources. J Acad Nutr Diet 2022;122:1229-31.
• Vitamin D intake and meeting recommendations among infants participating in WIC nationally.
  Gallo S, Gahche J, Kitsantas P, Makwana P, Wang Y, Chen X, Rajbhandari-Thapa J. Vitamin D intake and meeting recommendations among infants participating in WIC nationally. J Nutr Educ Behav 2022;54:499-509.
• The Total Nutrient Index is a useful measure for assessing total micronutrient exposures among US adults.
  Cowan AE, Bailey RL, Jun S, Dodd KW, Gahche JJ, Eicher-Miller HA, Guenther PM, Dwyer JT, Potischman N, Bhadra A, Carroll RJ, Tooze JA. The Total Nutrient Index is a useful measure for assessing total micronutrient exposures among US adults. J Nutr 2022;152:863-71
• State/territorial older Americans act plans on aging and inclusion of malnutrition-related conditions and interventions impacting healthy aging. 
  Arensberg MB, Gahche JJ, Dwyer JT, Mosey A, Terzaghiv D. State/territorial older Americans act plans on aging and inclusion of malnutrition-related conditions and interventions impacting healthy aging. Research Square. Preprint: February 17, 2022.
• Dietary supplement databases: Public health tools.
  Dwyer JT, Saldanha LG, Bailen R. Dietary supplement databases: Public health tools. J Food Compost Anal 2022;105:104244.
• Analytical challenges and metrological approaches to ensuring dietary supplement quality: International perspectives.
  Durazzo A, Sorkin BC, Lucarini M, Gusev PA, Kuszak AJ, Crawford C, Boyd C, Deuster PA, Saldanha LG, Gurley BJ, Pehrsson PR, Harnly JM, Turrini A, Andrews KW, Lindsey AT, Heinrich M, Dwyer JT. Analytical challenges and metrological approaches to ensuring dietary supplement quality: International perspectives. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Jan 11;12:714434. eCollection 2021.

2021

• Iodine in foods and dietary supplements: A collaborative database developed by NIH, FDA and USDA.
  Pehrsson PR, Roseland JM, Patterson KY, Phillips KM, Spungen JH, Andrews KW, Pavel A. Gusev PA, Gahche JJ, Haggans CJ, Merkel JM, Ershow AG. Iodine in foods and dietary supplements: A collaborative database developed by NIH, FDA and USDA. J Food Compost Anal 109:104369.
• Metabolic regulation of inflammation and its resolution: current status, clinical needs, challenges, and opportunities.
  Tandon P, Abrams ND, Carrick DM, Chander P, Dwyer J, Fuldner R, Gannot G, Laughlin M, McKie G, PrabhuDas M, Singh A, Tsai S-YA, Vedamony MM, Wang C, Liu CH. Metabolic regulation of inflammation and its resolution: current status, clinical needs, challenges, and opportunities. J Immunol 2021;207:2625-30.
• Do multivitamin/mineral dietary supplements for young children fill critical nutrient gaps?
  Dwyer JT, Saldanha LG, Bailen RA, Gahche JJ, Potischman N, Bailey RL, Jun S, Long Y, Connor E, Andrews KW, Pehrsson PR, Gusev PA. Do multivitamin/mineral dietary supplements for young children fill critical nutrient gaps? J Acad Nutr Diet 2022;122:525-32. Epub 2021 Oct 20.
• Dietary protein intake is positively associated with appendicular lean mass and handgrip strength among middle-aged US adults.
  Jun S, Cowan AE, Dwyer JT, Campbell WW, Thalacker-Mercer AE, Gahche JJ, Bailey RL. Dietary protein intake is positively associated with appendicular lean mass and handgrip strength among middle-aged US adults. J Nutr 2021;151:3755-63.
• A narrative review of nutrient based indexes to assess diet quality and the proposed total nutrient index that reflects total dietary exposures.
  Cowan AE, Jun S, Tooze JA, Dodd KW, Gahche JJ, Eicher-Miller HA, Guenther PM, Dwyer JT, Potischman N, Bhadra A, Carroll RJ, Bailey RL. A narrative review of nutrient based indexes to assess diet quality and the proposed total nutrient index that reflects total dietary exposures. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2021 Sep 2;1-11. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1967872
• Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores among adults based on observed vs recalled dietary intake.
  Kirkpatrick SI, Dodd KW, Potischman N, Zimmerman TP, Douglass D, Guenther PM, Durward C, Abiodun T Atoloye AT, Kahle LL, Subar AF, Reedy J. Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores among adults based on observed vs recalled dietary intake. J Acad Nutr Diet 2021;121:2233-41.e1.
• Accurate measurement of nutrients and nonnutritive dietary ingredients from dietary supplements is critical in the precision nutrition era.
  Gahche JJ, Bailey RL. Accurate measurement of nutrients and nonnutritive dietary ingredients from dietary supplements is critical in the precision nutrition era. J Nutr 2021;151:2094-5.
• Modernization of the National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Label Database.
  Saldanha LG, Dwyer JT, Bailen RA. Modernization of the National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Label Database. J Food Compost Anal 2021;102.
• Supplemental vitamin D increased serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the US adult population during 2007-2014.
  Schleicher RL, Sternberg MR, Potischman N, Gahche JJ, Storandt RJ, Maw KL, Pfeiffer CM. Supplemental vitamin D increased serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the US adult population during 2007-2014. J Nutr 2021;151:2446-54.
• Opportunities for adding undernutrition and frailty screening measures in US national surveys.
  Gahche JJ, Arensberg MB, Weiler M, Dwyer JT. Opportunities for adding undernutrition and frailty screening measures in US national surveys. Adv Nutr 2021;12:2312-20.
• Association of food insecurity with dietary intakes and nutritional biomarkers among US children, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2016.
  Jun S, Cowan AE, Dodd KW, Tooze JA, Gahche JJ, Eicher-Miller HA, Guenther PM, Dwyer JT, Potischman N, Bhadra A, Forman MR, Bailey RL. Association of food insecurity with dietary intakes and nutritional biomarkers among US children, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2016. Am J Clin Nutr 2021;114:1059-69.
• Non-food prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic use has increased in U.S. adults and children from 1999 to 2018.
  O’Connor LE, Gahche JJ, Herrick KA, Davis CD, Potischman N, Vargas AJ. Non-food prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic use has increased in U.S. adults and children from 1999 to 2018. Gastroenterology 2021;161(2):476-86.
• Dietary supplement use among adults: United States, 2017–2018.
  Mishra S, Stierman B, Gahche JJ, Potischman N. Dietary supplement use among adults: United States, 2017–2018. NCHS Data Brief, No 399. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2021.
• Percentage of Adults Aged ≥20 Years Who Had Taken Any Dietary Supplement† in the Past 30 Days, by Sex and Family Income — National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 2017–2018.
  Mishra S, Stierman B, Gahche J, Potischman N. Percentage of adults aged ≥20 years who had taken any dietary supplement† in the past 30 days, by sex and family income — National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 2017–2018. MMWR 2021;70:25.

2020

• High folic acid or folate combined with low vitamin B12 status: potential but inconsistent association with cognitive function in a nationally-representative cross-sectional sample of U.S. older adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
  Bailey RL, Jun S, Murphy L, Green R , Gahche JJ, Dwyer JT, Potischman N, McCabe GP, Miller JW. Am J Clin Nutr 2020; Aug 29:nqaa239. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa239.
• Demographic, physiologic, and lifestyle characteristics observed with serum total folate differ among folate forms: cross-sectional data from fasting samples in the NHANES 2011–2016.
  Fazili Z, Sternberg MR, Potischman N, Wang C-Y, Storandt RJ, Yeung L, Yamini S, Gahche JJ, Juan W, Qi YP, et al. J Nutr 2020;150(4):851–60.
• Older adults with obesity have higher risks of some micronutrient inadequacies and lower overall dietary quality compared to peers with a healthy weight, National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), 2011-2014.
  Jun S, Cowan AE, Bhadra A, Dodd KW, Dwyer JT, Eicher-Miller HA, Gahche JJ, Guenther PM, Potischman N, Tooze JA, Bailey RL. Public Health Nutr 2020 May 29;1-12.  
• Dietary supplement use and its micronutrient contribution during pregnancy and lactation in the United States.
  Jun S, Gahche JJ, Perrine C, Potischman N, Dwyer JT, Guenther PM, Sauder KA, Bailey RL. Obstet Gynecol 2020 Mar;135(3):623-633.
• Knowledge gaps in understanding the metabolic and clinical effects of excess folates/folic acid: a summary, and perspectives, from an NIH workshop.
  Maruvada P, Stover PJ, Mason JM, Bailey RL, Davis CD, Field M, Finnell RH, Garza C, Green R, Gueant J-L, Jacques PF, Johnston B, Klurfeld DM, Lamers Y, MacFarlane A, Joshua W Miller JV, Molloy AM, O’Connor DL, Pfeiffer CM, Potischman NA, Rodricks JV, Rosenberg IH, Shane B, Selhub J, Ross SA, Stabler SP, Trasler J, Yamini S, Zappala G. Am J Clin Nutr 2020; Oct 6;nqaa259. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa259.
• Dietary Supplement Use in Children and Adolescents Aged ≤19 Years — United States, 2017–2018.
  Stierman B, Mishra S, Gahche JJ, Potischman N, Hales CM. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1557–1562.
• Performance and Feasibility of Recalls Completed Using the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool in Relation to Other Self-Report Tools and Biomarkers in the Interactive Diet and Activity Tracking in AARP (IDATA) Study.
  Subar AF, Potischman N, Dodd KW, Thompson FE, Baer DJ, PhD, Schoeller DA, Midthune D, Kipnis V, Kirkpatrick SI, Mittl B, Zimmerman TP, Douglass D, Bowles H, Park Y. J Acad Nutr Diet 2020 ;120(11):1805-1820.

2019

• Best practices for dietary supplement assessment and estimation of total usual nutrient intakes in population-level research and monitoring.
  Bailey RL, Dodd KW, Gahche JJ, Dwyer JT, Cowan AE, Jun S, Eicher-Miller HA, Guenther PM, Bhadra A, Thomas PR, Potischman NP, Carroll RJ, Tooze JA.  J Nutr 2019;149:181-197. 
• Total usual micronutrient intakes compared to the Dietary Reference Intakes among U.S. adults by food security status.
  Cowan AE, Jun S, Tooze JA, Eicher-Miller HA, Dodd KW, Gahche JJ, Guenther PM, Dwyer JT, Potischman N, Bhadra A, Bailey RL.  Nutrients. 2019 Dec 22;12(1). pii: E38. doi: 10.3390/nu12010038.
• Dietary supplement use among infants and toddlers aged <24 months in the United States, NHANES 2007-2014.
  Gahche JJ, Herrick KA, Potischman NP, Bailey RL, Ahluwalia N, Dwyer JT.  J Nutr 2019;149:314-322.
• Vitamin D status in the United States, 2011-2014.
  Herrick KA, Storandt RJ, Afful J, Pfeiffer CM, Schleicher RL, Gahche JJ, Potischman NP.  Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 Jul 1;110(1):150-157. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz037.
• Personal ultraviolet radiation exposure in a cohort of Chinese mother and child pairs: The Chinese Families and Children Study.
  Kimlin MG, Fang L, Feng Y, Wang L, Hao L, Fan J, Wang N, Meng F, Yang R, Cong S, Liang X, Wang B, Linet M, Potischman NP, Kitahara C, Chao A, Yu W, Sun J, Brodie A.  BMC Public Health 2019 Mar 8;19(1):281.
• Folate status in the US population 20 y after the introduction of folic acid fortification.
  Pfeiffer CM, Sternberg MR, Zhang M, Fazili Z, Storandt RJ, Crider KS, Yamini S, Gahche JJ, Juan W, Wang C-Y, Potischman N, Williams J, LaVoie DJ.  Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 Nov 1;110(5):1088-1097. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz184.

2018

• Total usual nutrient intakes of US children (under 48 months): findings from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2016.
  Bailey RL, Catellier DJ, Jun S, Dwyer JT, Jacquier EF, Anater AS, Eldridge AL.  J Nutr 2018 Sep 1;148(9S):1557S-1566S.
• Use of iodine-containing dietary supplements remains low among women of reproductive age in the United States: NHANES 2011-2014.
  Gupta PM, Gahche JJ, Herrick KA, Ershow AG, Potischman N, Perrine CG. Nutrients 2018;10.
• Comparing reported dietary supplement intakes between two 24-hour recall methods: the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool and the Interview-Administered Automated Multiple Pass Method.
  Pannucci TE, Thompson FE, Bailey RL, Dodd KW, Potischman N, Kirkpatrick SI, Alexander GL, Coleman LA, Kushi LH, Groesbeck M, Sundaram M, Clancy H, George SM, Kahle L, Subar AF. J Acad Nutr Diet  2018;118:1080-6.
• Comparison of self-reported dietary intakes from the Automated Self-Administered 24-h Recall, 4-d food records, and food-frequency questionnaires against recovery biomarkers.
  Park Y, Dodd KW, Kipnis V, Thompson FE, Potischman N, Schoeller DA, Baer DJ, Midthune D, Troiano RP, Bowles H, Subar AF. Am J Clin Nutr 2018;107:80-93.

2017

• Dietary supplement use was very high among older adults in the United States in 2011–2014.
  Gahche JJ, Bailey RL, Potischman N, Dwyer JT. J Nutr 2017;147:1968-76.
• Testing usability of the Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD): A resource for consumers, professionals, and researchers.
  Potischman N, Salazar S, Susser J, Saldanha LSJ, Dwyer J, Kuzak A, Betz J, Bailen R. J Nutr Educ Behav 2017;49:S99.
• Correspondence of folate dietary intake and biomarker data.
  Bailey RL, Fulgoni VL, Taylor CL, Pfeiffer CM, Thuppal SV, McCabe GP, Yetley EA. Am J Clin Nutr 2017;105:1336-43.

2016

• The use of digital images in 24-hour recalls may lead to less misestimation of portion size compared with traditional interviewer-administered recalls.
  Kirkpatrick SI, Potischman N, Dodd KW, Douglass D, Zimmerman TP, Kahle LL, Thompson FE, George SM, Subar AF. J Nutr 2016;146:2567-73.
• Applying inappropriate cutoffs leads to misinterpretation of folate status in the US population.
  Pfeiffer CM, Sternberg MR, Hamner HC, Crider KS, Lacher DA, Rogers LM, Bailey RL, Yetley EA. Am J Clin Nutr 2016;104:1607-15. 
• Estimating sodium and potassium intakes and their ratio in the American diet: data from the 2011-2012 NHANES.
  Bailey RL, Parker EA, Rhodes DG, Goldman JD, Clemens JC, Moshfegh AJ, Thuppal SV, Weaver CM. J Nutr 2016 Mar 9. pii: jn221184. [Epub ahead of print]
• A review of cutoffs for nutritional biomarkers.
  Raghavan R, Ashour FS, Bailey R. Adv Nutr 2016;7:112-20.
• Update on NHANES dietary data: focus on collection, release, analytical considerations, and uses to inform public policy.
  Ahluwalia N, Dwyer J, Terry A, Moshfegh A, Johnson C. Adv Nutr 2016;7:121-34.

2015

• Use of highly fortified products among US adults.
  Costello R, Dwyer J, Bailey R, Saldanha L, French S. Nutr Today 2015;50:294-300.
• B-vitamin status and bone mineral density and risk of lumbar osteoporosis in older females in the United States.
  Bailey RL, Looker AC, Lu Z, Fan R, Eicher-Miller HA, Fakhouri TH, Gahche JJ, Weaver CM, Mills JL. Am J Clin Nutr 2015;102:687-94.
• Using 2 assessment methods may better describe dietary supplement intakes in the United States.
  Nicastro HL, Bailey RL, Dodd KW.  J Nutr 2015;145:1630-4.
• Folate status and concentrations of serum folate forms in the US population: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2.
  Pfeiffer CM, Sternberg MR, Fazili Z, Lacher DA, Zhang M, Johnson CL, Hamner HC, Bailey RL, Rader JI, Yamini S, Berry RJ, Yetley EA. Br J Nutr 2015;113:1965-77.
• Unmetabolized folic acid is detected in nearly all serum samples from US children, adolescents, and adults.
  Pfeiffer CM, Sternberg MR, Fazili Z, Yetley EA, Lacher DA, Bailey RL, Johnson CL. J Nutr 2015;145:520-31.
• Multivitamin-mineral use is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease mortality among women in the United States.
  Bailey RL, Fakhouri TH, Park Y, Dwyer JT, Thomas PR, Gahche JJ, Miller PE, Dodd KW, Sempos CT, Murray DM. J Nutr 2015;145:572-8.