The publication spans research from a diverse array of laboratory and human studies. The findings listed in the bibliography include the potentially beneficial effects of black cohosh for bone remodelling; ginkgo and omega-3 for cognitive health and minimizing the progression of Alzheimer's disease; resveratrol as an anti-inflammatory; and vitamin D for reducing prostate cancer risk.

"If these preliminary findings are substantiated in more rigorous studies, they could lay the foundation for some exciting health milestones - but only time will tell," said the Annual Bibliography's editor, Rebecca Costello.

The ODS annual project first began in 1999, and the organization has so far released a total of eight bibliographies.

As part of the project, an international team of reviewers from the fields of nutrition, botanical sciences and public health review nominated articles from peer-reviewed journals and rank them.

Each year, ODS selects the 25 most significant dietary supplement research advances of the past year and publishes them as part of the bibliographies.

These volumes are then destined to serve as references for students, nutrition and health professionals and researchers.

Part of the motivation behind these bibliographies for the ODS is to diminish the trickle-down affect of misguided research to the consumer.

"… our objective was to give researchers credit for raising the bar on supplement research and encourage others to follow their lead," said Paul Coates, director of ODS.

The National Institutes of Health organization has indicated its aim is to improve the quality of dietary supplement research and subsequent health messages. As such, it also provided a strong caveat as part of the publication.

"…even the highlighted studies should be viewed as clues, not verdicts," said Coates. "Just because a study points to a compound having an interesting effect doesn't mean we are ready to make a broad public health recommendation."

The studies were drawn from roughly 300 papers that appeared in more than 45 peer-reviewed scientific journals. More than half of those selected has received from NIH.

Copies of the Annual Bibliography can be downloaded from the ODS web site.