DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
This month, the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) welcomed several talented new individuals to our team—an expansion that directly supports the goals outlined in the ODS 2025–2029 Strategic Plan. Director Dr. Stefan Pasiakos shares how ODS will build upon our existing expertise and be better equipped to address our mission, to coordinate collaborative, cutting-edge research, and optimize health across the lifespan.
Read the Director’s Message.
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NEWS ACROSS NIH
NIH Requests Input on Disability Health Research Strategic Plan
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is developing the NIH Strategic Plan for Disability Health Research Fiscal Years 2026–2030. This plan will identify scientific themes and develop strategic goals and objectives to advance research activities that promote the health and well-being of people with disabilities.
As part of this effort, NIH has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on the draft framework for the strategic plan, seeking input and feedback on the draft framework’s cross-cutting themes, strategic goals, and potential opportunities. Responses to the RFI will be used to help shape the framework and the ensuing strategic plan.
To ensure consideration, all responses to the RFI should be submitted no later than March 12, 2025.
ODS 2024–2025 SEMINAR SERIES
The ODS 2024–2025 Seminar Series presents virtual seminars on dietary supplement research and related topics. The series is for those interested in dietary supplement research, but is open to everyone, and no registration is required. Upcoming seminars include:
January 15, 2025, 11 am ET Genetics, Health, and Essential Nutrients Nicholas Schork, Ph.D. — Deputy Director and Distinguished Professor of Quantitative Medicine, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ
February 19, 2025, 11 am ET Whole Person Health and the Nutrition Continuum Helene Langevin, Ph.D. — Director, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD
Mark your calendars now and contact us in advance for viewing information.
 This NIH workshop will examine the current scientific understanding of prenatal supplements, including evaluating whether the nutrient levels in these supplements are optimal for health outcomes. Workshop organizers are seeking participants who work in the dietary supplement and nutrition fields and who have an interest in this topic. Registration—which includes an option for virtual observers—will be available by January 31.
ON THE WEB
Executive Summary: Advancing the Biomedical Science of Resilience
ODS collaborated with the Trans-NIH Resilience Working Group to host a workshop titled, “Advancing the Biomedical Science of Resilience: A Discussion of Measures and Metrics” in September 2024. The workshop aimed to identify new measures and metrics that capture protective factors contributing to resilience, and thereby optimizing health across the lifespan. The full Executive Summary from the two-day event is now available on the ODS website.
New ODS Strategic Plan Webpage
ODS has revamped its Strategic Plan webpage, making it easier to navigate and read through the plan for 2025–2029, “A Blueprint for a Coordinated Dietary Supplement Research Agenda at NIH.”
CO-FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
ODS provides funding support to the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) through its co-funding program. Co-funding allows ODS to share the costs of NIH extramural dietary supplement-related research project grants, training and career development grants, and scientific conferences, with primary ICOs. See the list of active ODS co-funding opportunities and learn more on our website.
ODS RESEARCH ENDEAVORS
A Broader Perspective on Nutrition Research
A new publication, co-authored by ODS Director, Dr. Stefan Pasiakos, provides a perspective on nutrition research and how it is central to whole person health. In the article, Dr. Pasiakos and his NIH colleagues, Dr. Andrew Bremer, Dr. Shannon Zenk, and Dr. Helene Langevin, discuss how nutrition is an ecological system rather than a food-focused construct. They promote the concept of a “Nutrition Continuum” that spans food systems, human behavior, and food constituents––including dietary supplements—and reflects whole person health and the multifaceted relationships between food and health through the lifespan. Their goal is to build a collaborative effort at NIH to bridge funding streams and advance nutrition science, and they welcome an ongoing dialogue with the nutrition research community. A pre-proof copy of the article is available in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
ODS Director Gives Upcoming Talks
On January 22, Dr. Pasiakos will give an overview of the newly published ODS Strategic Plan for 2025–2029 during an Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences webinar. His presentation will focus on the future of ODS and how the office is working to advance the study of dietary supplements.
On February 13, Dr. Pasiakos will deliver the keynote address at Cornell University’s biennial Clive M. McCay Lectureship. His presentation, “Advancing the Scientific Understanding of Dietary Supplements: My Perspectives as a Government Scientist,” will be open to the Cornell community and the public, free of charge.
Dr. Pasiakos will also give a presentation, titled “State of the Science on Protein, Diet, and Health: Needs, Opportunities, and Challenges,” during a workshop on February 25 developed by Indiana University’s School of Public Health. The workshop, “Human Dietary Protein Needs and Benefits: A Critical Assessment of Postulated Propositions,” will bring together experts from various universities and organizations who will share evidence-based research and perspectives on protein and its impact on health.
ODS Publications
ODS staff regularly publish scientific papers that address key issues in dietary supplements and related research. These are recent examples:
Aijaz SM, Ruan Z, Leija C, Lytwak LA, Waddell S, Kuszak AJ, Wise SA, Sreenivasan U. Development of Certified Reference Material Solutions for Phytochemicals in Ginger and Kava. J AOAC Int. July 2024.
Bremer AA, Zenk SN, Pasiakos SM, Langevin HM. A broader perspective on nutrition research: the rationale for integrating the entire continuum of human nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. December 2024.
Carbone JW, Phillips SM, Weaver CM, Hughes JM, Pasiakos SM. Exploring Opportunities to Better Characterize the Effects of Dietary Protein on Health across the Lifespan. Adv Nutr. November 2024.
Cheung SN, Lieberman HR, Pasiakos SM, Fulgoni VL 3rd, Berryman CE. Associations between Essential Amino Acid Intake and Functional Health Outcomes in Older Adults: Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2018. Curr Dev Nutr. June 2024.
Daniels M, Margolis LM, Rood JC, Lieberman HR, Pasiakos SM, Karl JP. Comparative analysis of circulating metabolomic profiles identifies shared metabolic alterations across distinct multistressor military training exercises. Physiol Genomics. July 2024.
Drummer DJ, Carrigan CT, Murphy NE, Wilson MA, Michalak J, Whitney CC, Rivas DA, Pasiakos SM, Margolis LM. Low Carbohydrate Availability Promotes a Distinct Circulating microRNA Profile 24 Hours Following Aerobic Exercise. Physiol Genomics. December 2024.
Gwin JA, Church DD, Allen JT, Wilson MA, Carrigan CT, Murphy NE, Varanoske AN, Margolis LM, Wolfe RR, Ferrando AA, Pasiakos SM. Consuming Whey Protein with Added Essential Amino Acids, Not Carbohydrate, Maintains Postexercise Anabolism While Underfed. Med Sci Sports Exerc. January 2025.
Kanungo J, Sorkin BC, Krzykwa J, Mitchell CA, Embry M, Spencer P, Harry GJ, Cannon J, Liu F, McPherson CA, Gafner S, Westerink RHS. Screening tools to evaluate the neurotoxic potential of botanicals: building a strategy to assess safety. Exper Opin Drug Metab Toxicol. July 2024.
Margolis LM, Wilson MA, Drummer DJ, Carrigan CT, Murphy NE, Allen JT, Dawson MA, Mantzoros CS, Young AJ, Pasiakos SM. Pioglitazone does not enhance exogenous glucose oxidation or metabolic clearance rate during aerobic exercise in men under acute high-altitude exposure. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. July 2024.
Ogden CL, Ansai N, Fryar CD, Wambogo EA, Brody DJ. Depression and Diet Quality, US Adolescents and Young Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015–March 2020. J Acad Nutr Diet. August 2024.
Kendrick P, Kelly Y, Baumann M, Kahn E, Compton K, Schmidt C, Sylte D, Li Z, La Motte-Kerr W, Daoud F, Ong K, Moberg M, Hay S, Rodriquez E, Strassle P, Mensah G, Bandiera F, George S, Simonsick E, Brown C, Pérez-Stable E, Murray C, Mokdad A, Dwyer-Lindgren L. Mortality due to falls by county, age group, race, and ethnicity in the USA, 2000-19: a systematic analysis of health disparities. Lancet Public Health. August 2024.
Piercy K, Vaux-Bjerke A, Polster M, Fulton, J, George, S, Rose K, Whitfield, G, Wolff-Hughes D, Barnett E. Call to Action: Contribute to the Development of the Third Edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Translational Journal of the ACSM. Winter 2024.
Ritland BM, Judkins JL, Naylor JA, Kardouni JR, Pasiakos SM, Jayne JM. The relationship between sleep, pain, and musculoskeletal injuries in US Army Soldiers. BMJ Mil Health. November 2024.
Ryan BJ, Barney DE Jr, McNiff JL, Drummer DJ, Howard EE, Gwin JA, Carrigan CT, Murphy NE, Wilson MA, Pasiakos SM, McClung JP, Margolis LM. Strenuous training combined with erythropoietin induces red cell volume expansion-mediated hypervolemia and alters systemic and skeletal muscle iron homeostasis. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. November 2024.
Sam JF, Kuszak AJ, Gray PJ, Wise SA. Determination of Toxic Elements in Botanical Dietary Supplement Ingredient Reference Materials. J AOAC Int. July 2024.
Wise SA, Cavalier É, Lukas P, Peeters S, Le Goff C, Briggs LE, Williams EL, Mineva E, Pfeiffer CM, Vesper H, Popp C, Beckert C, Schultess J, Wang K, Tourneur C, Pease C, Osterritter D, Fischer R, Saida B, Dou C, Kojima S, Weiler HA, Bielecki A, Pham H, Bennett A, You S, Ghoshal AK, Wei B, Vogl C, Freeman J, Parker N, Pagliaro S, Cheek J, Li J, Tsukamoto H, Galvin K, Cashman KD, Liao HC, Hoofnagle AN, Budd JR, Kuszak AJ, Boggs ASP, Burdette CQ, Hahm G, Nalin F, Camara JE. Commutability assessment of new standard reference materials (SRMs) for determining serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D using ligand binding and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays. Anal Bioanal Chem. January 2025.
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