I had high expectations prior to attending the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) Supplement Practicum. My expectations have already been exceeded.

The day started off with an early alarm (how early does it get light here? it was already full light when my alarm went off at 5:30). I got ready and headed to the Tastee Diner for breakfast. I always like to find local diners/cafes for breakfast, and I found a winner. I pretended to read the paper and just listened to the “show” put on by the locals at the counter. What a hoot! Finished breakfast and got back to the hotel to get my things and take the shuttle to the NIH campus.

Getting on the campus was quite the process. We all had to get out of the van, go through a metal detector, open all our bags (and every pocket in each bag), provide the slip from the security guard and picture ID to the van driver, have the van searched, get our badges back from the van driver with our passes for the day. Whew! The campus is HUGE and beautiful. One of the other ladies in the van was also going to the practicum.

Made it to the correct building, got checked in and received a HUGE binder of information. I’m going to have to find a UPS/FedEx store to ship it back it is so large. Then, got settled in for the day.

We started with a welcome session. Paul Coates, PhD, the Director of the ODS, spoke after the housekeeping announcements were made. He gave an overview of the ODS, how it fits into the NIH, etc. Then, we heard from Mary Frances Picciano, PhD, about who takes dietary supplements. She provided some great information on the breakdown of the population who takes supplements – over 50% of the US population takes dietary supplements. Next up was Johanna Dwyer, DSc, RD. Johanna spoke about why people take supplements – their motivation. It brought to the forefront the idea that different people have different reasons/motivations for taking dietary supplements as well as one person may have different reasons/motivations for each supplement. It is critical to ask and understand why people take each supplement they take. She also reviewed several of the collection methods – surveys, focus groups, etc – and the pros and cons of each method. The last speaker before lunch was Regan Bailey, PhD, RD, LDN. Regan spoke about measuring food and supplement intakes. Her presentation included a ton of things I hadn’t thought about with regard to collecting food and dietary supplement information from consumers. She also provided information on the National Cancer Institutes FREE 24-hour recall program.

The morning flew. Yeah, I know the topics do not necessarily sound thrilling, but the speakers and presentations made them more interesting than I thought they could be. Also, each presentation is 45 minutes with 15 minutes for questions. After two presentations, we get a break. This just about fits my attention span.

Lunch was in the cafeteria in the building. The cafeteria leaves a lot to be desired in the selection department. Oh well, we may try another tomorrow.

Looking at the afternoon agenda, I wasn’t too thrilled and thought it would be a snooze-fest. The overall topic was “It’s the Law: Rules and Regulations.” See my point?

Well, the first tspeaker was William Schultez, JD who was involved in the writing of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) among other food/nutrition laws. He provided a background of what life was like before DSHEA and what lead to the development of DSHEA. The next speaker was Vasilios Frankos, PhD from the FDA. He explained the FDA’s role in dietary supplement monitoring and regulation. Next up was Michelle Rusk, JD from the FTC. She explained the role of the FTC and how the FTC and FDA work together. Finally, Paul Thomas, EdD, RD. Paul spoke about supplement labels and claims. Now, this session was at 4PM, and although I’d stayed engaged in the prior presentations (surprise!), I wasn’t sure about this one. Paul did an amazing job explaining supplement labeling and claims.

The main things I learned today:

• The ODS cannot directly fund research (they are not an institute) but can fund research in conjunction with institutes.
• How many people take supplements and the top supplements taken.
• Different ways supplement usage is researched as well as some of the pros/cons of each.
• Talk with people about what they are taking and why (not just “why” but what is their motivation.
• The FDA really has its hands tied due to funding and the ways the laws are written. The FDA gets blamed for a lot of things with dietary supplement regulation when it really isn’t their fault – the problem is how the laws are written.
• The FTC has the “teeth” to go after compnies and people. However, they are also constrained by funds and have to target key types of supplements. Also, the FTC is staffed by lawyers, so they rely on the FDA for a lot of the science behind the claims.
• Supplement labels are vague for everyone – including those regulating them. For example, there isn’t a good definition of a “medical food.”

If today is any indication of what the remaining 4 1/2 days will hold, I can’t wait! Tomorrow we get to talk about how foods, drugs and supplements are brought to market (a presentation for each). There will also be a talk about the interactions between supplements and drugs. In the afternoon we get into efficacy and effectiveness, safety, identity and quality. Then, we get a tour of the NIH Clinical Center! I think I’m wearing my running shoes.

The ODS Practicum is currently open to those in academia. However, Paul (the Director of the ODS) spoke about having other such meetings for groups including Registered Dietitians. I hope they do so in the future.