Stefan Pasiakos, PhD, ODS director since July 2023, said that it was developed with “an intense focus on progress and accountability and a deep belief that meaningful scientific advances are best achieved through shared principles and collaboration.”
“My vision for ODS emphasizes objectivity and relevance,” said Dr. Pasiakos, previously with the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM). “ODS remains committed to the American public as the honest broker for advancing dietary supplement science.”
The NIH ODS Strategic Plan 2025-2029 was published on Nov. 18 following a year-long consultation that called for input from partners across the National Institutes of Health, other federal agencies, dietary supplement trade associations, academia and the public.
Advancing science
Efforts will focus on studying the effects of dietary supplements on resilience and health across the lifespan in diverse populations.
Also on the research agenda: investigating composition, quality, stability, safety and efficacy through ongoing initiatives such as the ODS Analytical Methods and Reference Materials (AMRM) and the Consortium for Advancing Research on Botanical and Other Natural Products (CARBON).
“To understand exactly what is being studied, dietary supplements used in biomedical investigations must be rigorously identified and characterized, including details of dissolution and disintegration to ensure bioefficacy,” according to ODS.
“This characterization helps ensure product integrity and enhances researchers’ ability to understand and learn from any variability in outcomes associated with changes in product composition.”
ODS will work with NIH, other federal agencies and research communities to supplement its core competencies in biological, population and analytical sciences. Past models of collaboration cited include the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2) and work with the Department of Defense Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP).
The office also recently announced postdoctoral research fellowships in micronutrient requirements for maternal and infant health, nutrient deficiencies during GLP-1 drug treatment, dietary supplement use among U.S. military personnel, and childhood obesity, nutrition and exercise.
Expanding capacity
Created by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, ODS’s mandate since inception has been to promote scientific study of the benefits of dietary supplements to improve health care in the United States.
It now plans to increase the rigor of this science by harmonizing research best practices to be able to compare and reproduce study results using well-characterized reference materials and validated analytical methods and biomarkers of nutrient intake and status.
Presenting at the ODS-sponsored seminar series earlier this year, Connie Weaver, distinguished research professor in exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University, spoke to the ongoing work to enhance the design and conduct of clinical trials.
“It’s so important to improve the rigor of nutrition science—if not, our reputation is at risk,” she said. “It takes a strong evidence base to be the foundation for effective nutrition policy.”
As a repository for dietary supplement science, ODS will also continue to push for the innovative use of publicly available dietary supplement databases to inform and strengthen new research.
“Resources that provide documentation on each dietary supplement product and its composition are necessary for researchers, clinicians and consumers to understand what is consumed and how those ingredients affect overall nutrient intake among the U.S. population and its diverse subgroups,” the strategic plan reads.
It references the extensive Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) launched in 2013 and the Computer Access to Research on Dietary Supplements (CARDS) database, a library of federally funded research projects on dietary supplements since 1999.
Fostering stewardship
To increase program efficiency and transparency, the plan positions ODS as a coordinating office equipped with products, resources and processes that drive interest in dietary supplement research, knowledge across the dietary supplement workforce and return on the investment in ODS activities.
“These tools will help staff develop priority-based portfolio analyses, assess the progress of ODS research and identify new directions and priorities,” the plan states. “In addition, ODS staff will support new efforts by creating effective approaches to increase interest, responsivity and accountability while maximizing public health impact.”
The collective goal of the strategy is to communicate the latest dietary supplement science to researchers, health professionals and consumers, always with an eye to filling critical research gaps through collaboration.
“With everyone’s input and expertise, we are confident that our approach will chart the way forward and provide new opportunities for ODS to expand its sphere of influence and advance the science of dietary supplements,” Dr. Pasiakos shared.
