Supplement Facts Labeling and Health Claims

How to read a supplement label

Dietary supplements are frequently marketed with statements about health effects, for example:

"In the fight against infection, your best defense is tea tree oil."
"For better mental sharpness choose ginkgo biloba."

Current U.S. law states that these health claims must be "truthful and not misleading." But because there is no standard for the acceptance of the supporting science (the act states that manufacturers must have "substantiation" in hand - yet substantiation isn't defined) the claims can be based on a single scientific study that is inadequate or flawed. For this reason dietary supplements making health-related statements must carry the following disclaimer:

"This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."

This disclaimer has led to many different, generalized statements of beneficial effects that avoid being specific disease claims. As you can see in the table below, the distinction can be very subtle.

The fact is that it is virtually impossible for the consumer to tell if a dietary supplement's health claim is based on adequate scientific research. In practice, supplement marketers appear to be able to make any claim they want as long as they have a reasonably supportive study to hand.