Dietary supplement research revealed
of Health (NIH) has today released the fifth issue of the Annual
Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplement
Research, aimed at manufacturers, scientists and health
professionals.
This publication presents significant research in the dietary supplement field for the year 2003.
"Each year, the office has identified exemplary papers on dietary supplements and disseminated this information to researchers, health professionals, and consumers," said Paul Coates, director of ODS.
The articles for the 2003 bibliography included research on supplements and bone health, cancer, cardiovascular health, inflammation and early development.
"In this year's issue, we grouped the papers by health condition rather than by ingredient, as many of the papers fell into the three major health categories afflicting people, namely bone health, cardiovascular disease and cancer," said Leila Saldanha, co-editor of the publication.
This trend has already been noted in the supplements industry where products are increasing marketed around a health condition rather than an ingredient and is probably set to continue.
Savithri Ramalinga, a research analyst working in Frost and Sullivan's India office, said that although companies are beoming more able to formulate products with mutlifarious health benefits - such as benefits for the gut, eye and bone in a single product- this way of working is generally less cost effective than producing a single product for a specific problem.
"The product cost for foods and beverages incorporating more than one functional ingredient - to address a whole gamut of health issues - would work out fairly high as most of the functional ingredients are expensive," she said.
In this year's issue of the bibliography, the ODS claims there were over 300 original research articles nominated from 34 peer-reviewed journals. An international team of 45 expert reviewers in the fields of nutrition and botanical sciences and public health reviewed and ranked the articles. The top 25 articles were selected for publication.
Copies of the fifth Annual Bibliography of Significant Advances in DietarySupplement Research may be downloaded from the ODS website.
