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Leadership Announcement
With sincere appreciation for his leadership over the past 2 years, we bid farewell to ODS Director Stefan Pasiakos, Ph.D. During his tenure, Dr. Pasiakos made significant contributions to advancing the office’s initiatives and fulfilling its mission to coordinate cutting-edge dietary supplement research across NIH and other federal agencies. These efforts were strengthened and supported by the unwavering dedication of the ODS team. We wish Dr. Pasiakos continued success in his new professional endeavors.
In the interim, we are pleased to announce Drew Bremer, M.D., Ph.D., M.A.S., Director of NIH's Office of Nutrition Research, will serve as the Acting Director of ODS, alongside ODS Deputy Director Stephanie George, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.A. Dr. Bremer’s extensive experience and dedication to the field of nutrition position him well to lead the office, and we look forward to his impactful contributions in this important role.
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ODS Research Activities
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ODS Collaborates with USDA on New Purine Content Dataset
Gout, a form of arthritis linked to high uric acid levels, is a growing global health issue associated with Western diets and obesity. Managing gout requires accurate data on purine content in foods and dietary supplementsas purines contribute to uric acid production. To address this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with ODS, developed a validated dataset of purine levels in commonly consumed U.S. foods and dietary supplements. A total of 61 foods and 14 dietary supplements across 5 categories were analyzed for purine compounds and uric acid using advanced chromatography techniques. The dataset includes 462 food items, 15 alcoholic beverages, and 14 dietary supplement products and presents purine values along with related statistical measures. The database also incorporates validated literature data for comparison and includes detailed sourcing information. This initiative reflects a collaborative effort between the USDA and ODS, combining resources and expertise to create a comprehensive, scientifically validated purine database that supports dietary management of gout.
USDA FoodData Central Now Includes Iodine
Iodine is an essential nutrient present in seaweed, fish and other seafood, dairy products, iodized salt, eggs, and some dietary supplements. It is important for thyroid function in human growth, neurologic development, reproduction, and energy metabolism. While overall U.S. iodine intake is considered sufficient, some people, such as pregnant women, may have inadequate intakes. Intake estimates for iodine require data on the iodine content of foods. To address this need, the USDA FoodData Central database now includes an iodine dataset. It was designed to accompany Release 4.0 of the USDA, FDA, and ODS-NIH Database for the Iodine Content of Common Foods, which includes iodine values for 478 foods.
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Recently Published & Presented ODS Research
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Pasiakos SM, Kuszak AJ. Strengthening Dietary Supplement Research: An Expanded Priority for the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Am J Clin Nutr. April 2025.
Cowan-Pyle AE, Bailey RL, Gahche JJ, Dwyer JT, Reynolds LM, Carroll RJ, Mallick BK, Mitchell DC, Tooze JA. Methods matter for dietary supplement exposure assessment: comparing prevalence, product types, and amounts of nutrients from dietary supplements in the Interactive Diet and Activity Tracking in the American Association of Retired Persons cohort study. J Clin Nutr. April 2025.
Kuszak AJ, Hosbas Coskun S, Wise SA. A new database to guide reference material selection for dietary supplement and nutrition science. Anal Bioanal Chem. January 2025.
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ODS Events
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ODS 2024–2025 Seminar Series
The ODS 2024–2025 Seminar Series presents virtual seminars on dietary supplement research and related topics. The series is intended for those interested in dietary supplement research but is open to everyone.
Advancing Botanical Dietary Supplement Research Through Collaboration: The Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics Collaboration
Preston Manwill, Ph.D. — University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
Register and view the Seminar Series flyer to learn more.
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June 11, 2025, 11 a.m. ET
Natural Products Roundtable
More details to follow — stay tuned!
June 25, 2025, 11 a.m. ET
Whole Person Health and the Nutrition Continuum
Helene Langevin, M.D. — Director, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH
More details to follow — stay tuned!
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News Around NIH
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May 7–8, 2025
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases is hosting a workshop to identify gaps in understanding the benefits and risks of GLP-1-based therapies and explore how real-world evidence (RWE) can address these gaps to inform clinical and policy decisions. Topics include using RWE in clinical decision-making, developing clinical guidelines, and addressing issues specific to GLP-1 therapies through study design and analytic methods. With growing use of GLP-1 therapies in treating conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, there is a critical need for research on their long-term safety, effectiveness, and impact on healthcare costs, particularly in real-world settings.
May 15, 2025, 12–4 p.m. ET
The Vivian W. Pinn Symposium honors the first full-time Director of the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, Dr. Vivian W. Pinn, and is held every year during National Women’s Health Week. The virtual symposium, “Advancing Data-Driven Innovation for the Health of Women,” will focus on enhancing awareness of—and access to—existing data resources while building capacity for interdisciplinary analyses. Register and learn more on the event website.
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Co-Funding Opportunities
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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 Grants & Funding webpage.
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Advancing the Field Together
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ASN’s ANNUAL MEETING IN MAY
The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) will host its annual meeting, NUTRITION 2025, May 31—June 3 in Orlando, Florida. NUTRITION 2025 attendees will have an opportunity to engage with experts in science and nutrition from across the globe and will learn how to create and cultivate collaborative discussions through education.
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Science Shorts
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Accurately measuring dietary supplement use is crucial for understanding how these products impact health. A recent study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, underscores this point. Led by researchers from Texas A&M University and co-authored by our ODS colleagues Jaime Gahche, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Johanna Dwyer, D.Sc., R.D., the study highlights the need for precise assessment methods. By refining how we evaluate supplement intake, researchers can gain clearer insights into the complex relationship between diet and health.
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Featured Fact Sheets
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ODS has released an updated health professional fact sheet on probiotics. This revised resource offers essential, up-to-date information on the health effects of probiotic supplements and introduces a newly designed fact sheet format that features concise summary sections that can be expanded for more details.
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ODS has a new health professional fact sheet on dietary supplements and pregnancy. This fact sheet summarizes current research and recommendations for vitamins, minerals, choline, and omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy. It also addresses several herbs, including ginger and peppermint, and includes a special considerations section that covers topics such as nutrient considerations for women who follow vegetarian diets and for those who are pregnant with twins or other multiples. |
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About ODS
The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation’s medical research agency—supporting scientific studies that turn discovery into health.
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Contact Us
Office of Dietary Supplements National Institutes of Health 6705 Rockledge Drive (Rockledge I) Room 730, MSC 7991 Bethesda, MD 20817
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://ods.od.nih.gov
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