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dietary supplement

Cultural  
  1. The wide assortment of minerals, vitamins, and sundry herbs that are taken as nutritional supplements to regular food.


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There has been a rapid increase in the use of supplements since the early 1990s, leading to debates over whether or how tightly such supplements should be regulated by the FDA. (At this writing, because they are not medicines, they need not pass the stringent tests that medicines must undergo).

Example Sentences

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If Americans know magnesium at all, it is as a dietary supplement or as “mag wheels” for car enthusiasts.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 24, 2026

Daniel Murphy thought he was taking a safe and tested dietary supplement that would help him put on muscle in the gym.

From BBC Jul. 31, 2026

Over time, she identified two promising ingredients: forms of taurine, an organic compound commonly sold as a dietary supplement, and ethanolamine, another simple organic molecule.

From Science Daily Mar. 26, 2026

Both are currently unregulated and not approved for use in the United States or the state of California as a drug product, dietary supplement or an approved food additive, according to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 20, 2025

Algae reduces appetite and as a dietary supplement can assist in weight loss.

From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Steve Solomon

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