Label Statements and Perceived Health Benefits of Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplement use is widespread, and their labels often contain structure/function claims (eg, supports heart or brain health), which legally are not intended to imply the supplement prevents or treats a disease. How structure/function statements are interpreted by consumers, however, is unknown.

To evaluate how commonly used structure/function claims are associated with consumer beliefs regarding the health benefits of supplements.

We conducted 2 online survey studies of US adults participating in the SurveyMonkey Audience platform, one for a fish oil supplement and one for a hypothetical supplement called Viadin H. For each survey, participants were randomized to 1 of 4 labels that were otherwise identical but had different health-related label statements (eg, supports heart health, cognitive function) and then asked about the supplement's health benefits.

The percentage of participants who reported that the supplement was somewhat likely or very likely to prevent or treat a list of diseases.

Overall, 2239 participants completed the fish oil survey (473 [21.5%] aged 45-54 years; 1142 [52.6%] women), and 2164 completed the Viadin H survey (510 [23.7%] aged 45-54 years; 1085 [51.2%] women). Respondents shown the fish oil label that said "Supports Heart Health" were more likely than those shown a no-claim control to report that it prevents heart attacks (370 of 592 [62.5%] vs 306 of 568 [53.9%]; P = .003) and heart failure (349 [59.0%] vs 288 [50.7%]; P = .005). Those shown the "Supports Cognitive Function" label claim were more likely to report that fish oil prevents dementia (255 of 538 [47.4%] vs 225 [39.6%]; P = .009) and improves memory in dementia (258 [48.0%] vs 230 [40.5%]; P = .01) compared with those shown no-claim labels. For Viadin H, those shown a label stating "Heart Health" or "Supports Heart Function" were more likely to report the supplement prevents heart attack or heart failure, while those shown a label stating "Brain Health" or "Supports Cognitive Function" were more likely to report the supplement prevented dementia or improved memory (eg, lower risk of heart attack: "Heart Health" label, 209 of 525 [40.0%]; "Supports Heart Function" label, 225 of 556 [40.5%]; "Brain Health" label, 113 of 556 [20.2%]; and "Supports Cognitive Function" label, 124 of 536 [23.3%]; P < .001).

In this survey study, commonly used structure/function claims on supplement labels were often misinterpreted by consumers to imply a disease-specific benefit, contrary to their regulatory intent. Improved regulations for supplement labeling may be needed to minimize consumer misunderstanding.