Challenges in Reporting Adverse Events From Dietary Supplements

Abstract

In 2008, the Institute of Medicine Committee on Dietary Supplement Use by Military Personnel recommended the development of service-wide military policies (eg, education or regulations) to guide commanders in management practices for safe use of dietary supplements (DSs). This review summarizes the activities the military has undertaken to advance the safe use of DSs by service members and develop best practices on reporting adverse events across the Department of Defense (DoD). In March 2022, the Department of Defense issued a DoD Instruction (DoDI) regarding the use of DSs by members of the US military. This DoDI provides guidelines to establish an official list of prohibited substances. The DoDI also identifies Operation Supplement Safety at CHAMP as DoD's “go-to” program for DS use and information about DSs and ingredients. Noted are a number of gaps in the reporting of adverse events from DSs that need to be addressed by multiple constituencies.