In November 1995, the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) was established in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director with the congressionally mandated purposes “to promote scientific study of the benefits of dietary supplements in maintaining health and preventing chronic disease and other health-related conditions” and “to explore more fully the potential role of dietary supplements…to improve health care.”

Now, 25 years later, ODS will take time over the next 10–12 months to mark and showcase its contributions to the science of dietary supplements and highlight the office’s accomplishments and achievements. We will also use this time to reflect upon ODS’s future and consider what needs to be done as we develop a new strategic plan for the years 2022–2026.

Mark your calendars! One major anniversary event we’re planning is a scientific symposium next May 10–11, featuring talks by leading experts in the field of dietary supplement science and presentations by early-career scientists from the ODS Research Scholars Program. ODS staff will also highlight the office and its work at the many professional meetings where they give presentations throughout the year. And, as always, we’ll host a monthly seminar series where prominent scientists involved in dietary supplement research present their findings and discuss their implications for public health.

“The goal of our anniversary-related activities is to raise awareness of ODS activities and accomplishments among our many stakeholders—from research scientists in various sectors, healthcare professionals, and to the public—and to increase engagement with us,” ODS Acting Director Joseph M. Betz, Ph.D., explained. “We’ll do this by promoting the ways in which individuals can participate in ODS activities and access our resources.”

Visit the ODS 25^th Anniversary webpage for more details and a calendar of events.

“The database can also be used to identify good sources of iodine––such as seaweed, seafood, dairy products, and iodized salt––as well as foods that have variable amounts,” explained Abby G. Ershow, Sc.D., R.D., who directs the ODS Iodine Initiative. “For example, commercially available breads prepared with iodine-containing dough conditioners have very high amounts of iodine, whereas those prepared without have virtually none. In addition, salt that’s not iodized––including most brands of sea salt––contains almost no iodine.” The database also shows that pasta contains iodine when it’s boiled in water containing iodized salt, but not when it’s boiled in plain, unsalted water.

To learn more about iodine, see the ODS health professional and consumer fact sheets in English and Spanish.

As part of the Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP), ODS and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) established the first accuracy-based laboratory quality assurance program (QAP) to improve serum measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], the primary biomarker for clinical vitamin D status assessment.

“The newly released NIST/NIH Vitamin D Metabolites Quality Assurance Program (VitDQAP) Final Report summarizes the program’s 12 exercises and highlights laboratory performance trends observed by our NIST colleagues,” explained Adam J. Kuszak, Ph.D., Director of the ODS Analytical Methods and Reference Materials (AMRM) Program.

A total of 99 laboratories from hospitals, industry, academia, and government participated in 12 VitDQAP exercises from 2009 through 2016. Comparability of participant measurements for 25(OH)D improved over time through use of Standard Reference Materials (a VDSP resource), identification of measurement biases, and within-laboratory measurement quality control efforts. Added Stephen A. Wise, Ph.D., a scientific consultant who supports the ODS AMRM Program, “This report provides an excellent overview of the program’s technical details as well as trends seen in community measurement capabilities and programmatic outcomes.”