Conference / Workshop on
Bioavailability of Nutrients and Other
Bioactive Components of Dietary Supplements:
Defining the Research Agenda
Conference Proceedings:
Bioavailability of Nutrients and Other Bioactive Components from Dietary Supplements. The Journal of Nutrition 2001, Volume 131, Number 4
In Fiscal Year 1999, Congress mandated the ODS to study the issue of
dietary supplement bioavailability. To address this mandate the ODS
initiated a partnership with the Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO) for
a conference/ workshop to explore the current state of our knowledge about
the important issues related to bioavailability of nutrients and other
bioactive components from dietary supplements.
The Bioavailability Conference/ Workshop is chaired by Dr. Mary Frances
Picciano, Professor Nutritional Science, Penn State University (currently
serving as Visiting Nutrition Scientist with the ODS) and is co-chaired
by Dr. Daniel J. Raiten, Ph.D., Senior Staff Scientist, LSRO. The
conference/ workshop will be held on January 5-6, 2000 at the Natcher
Auditorium on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.
GOALS
The conference/ workshop has the following goals:
1. to create a forum for an exchange of ideas and experiences regarding
bioavailability,
2. to develop an effective and realistic research agenda that will
result in the generation of reliable and valid data on bioavailability
essential to the advancement of our understanding of the importance of
dietary supplements to public health; and,
3. to produce a published document consisting of the proceedings of
the plenary session presentations, the summary statements of workshop break-out
groups convened to address specific questions about research needs, and
conclusions of the assembled conference/workshop participants with regard
to steps needed to advance the research agenda.
These goals will be accomplished through discussions of general issues
concerning bioavailability and the application of general scientific principles
for the study of bioavailability to case-studies of several well-characterized
substances. The case study substances selected are folic acid, iron,
and a botanical product (isoflavones). These substances have been
selected because of their accepted importance in public health, and the
availability of data.