Excerpt

Based on the heightened risks, potential for benefits, frequency of use among military service members, the lack of consistent policies, and the absence of an internal process to report adverse events as they occur in military settings, the Department of Defense (DoD), Samueli Institute, and National Institutes of Health, with additional support from the FDA, requested that the IOM convene an ad hoc committee under the oversight of the CMNR. The Committee on Dietary Supplement Use by Military Personnel was asked to review the patterns of dietary supplement use among military personnel, to recommend a framework to identify the need for active management of dietary supplement use by military personnel, and to develop an approach system to monitor adverse health effects. The committee was further tasked with selecting a subset of dietary supplements and, by examining published reviews of the scientific evidence, identifying those that are beneficial and/or warrant concern (see full Statement of Task in Chapter 1).

Contents

• The National Academies
• Committee on Dietary Supplement Use by Military Personnel
• Standing Committee on Military Nutrition Research
• Food and Nutrition Board
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Summary
  • APPROACH TO MANAGE THE USE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS BY MILITARY PERSONNEL
  • RESEARCH NEEDS
• 1. Introduction
  • COMMITTEE’S TASK AND APPROACH
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
  • USE AND MANAGEMENT OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES
  • MILITARY’S INTEREST IN MANAGING DIETARY SUPPLEMENT USE
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Recent Survey Findings and Implications for Future Surveys of Dietary Supplement Use
  • INTRODUCTION
  • PREVALENCE OF USE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS BY MILITARY PERSONNEL
  • RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONDUCTING SURVEYS
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Vitamins and Essential Minerals for Military Personnel
  • INTRODUCTION
  • SAFETY OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS
  • SUMMARY
  • RESEARCH NEEDS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Other Dietary Supplements for Military Personnel
  • INTRODUCTION
  • CAFFEINE
  • CHROMIUM
  • CREATINE
  • DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE (DHEA)
  • EPHEDRA
  • GARLIC
  • GINKGO BILOBA
  • GINSENG
  • β-HYDROXY-β-METHYLBUTYRATE (HMB)
  • MELATONIN
  • QUERCETIN
  • SPORTS BARS
  • SPORTS DRINKS
  • TYROSINE
  • VALERIAN
• 5. Framework to Review the Safety of Dietary Supplements for Use by Military Personnel
  • BACKGROUND
  • SAFETY FRAMEWORK FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS: MODIFICATIONS FOR MILITARY USE
  • CHALLENGES OF THE PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL
  • OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCE
• 6. Monitoring Adverse Health Effects Associated with Dietary Supplement Use by Military Personnel
  • BACKGROUND
  • THE FDA’S PROCESS TO MONITOR ADVERSE EVENTS FROM DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
  • THE MILITARY’S SYSTEM TO MONITOR ADVERSE EVENTS
  • PROPOSED ADVERSE EVENT SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR THE MILITARY
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Research Needs
  • KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR CONDUCTING MILITARY NUTRITION RESEARCH
  • APPROACHES TO IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING RESEARCH NEEDS
  • POTENTIAL RESEARCH AREAS OF INTEREST
  • REFERENCES
• Appendixes
  • A Workshop Agenda
  • B Workshop Papers
  • C Findings from Recent Surveys on Dietary Supplement Use by Military Personnel and the General Population
  • D Case Studies
  • E Adverse Event Reporting Forms
  • F Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers
  • G Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
  • H Acronyms and Abbreviations
  • I Glossary

This study was supported by Contract No. W911QY-06-C-0095 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Defense; Contract No. W81XWH-06-10787 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of the Army; Contract No. N01-OD-4-2139 TO #177 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Contract No. HHSF223200710832P between the National Academy of Sciences and the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Letter of Agreement No. OFED-7819 between the National Academy of Sciences and Samueli Institute. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2008. Use of dietary supplements by military personnel. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.