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

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

However, some have called for more research in women specifically in the dietary supplement space, said Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, a professor of exercise physiology at UNC Chapel HIll.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2025

The feedstock for the process is made from lipoic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid molecule that is commonly sold as a dietary supplement.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

Things that happen to cells in a plastic dish—say, when you add an ingredient found in a dietary supplement to them—aren’t representative of what will happen to a person consuming those supplements.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2024

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

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