Commercial funding of randomized controlled trials of weight-loss interventions using dietary supplements: A rapid...

Nutrition research funded by commercial entities may be subject to bias. To date, no study has examined the prevalence of commercial funding in clinical trials of dietary supplements for weight loss.

To estimate the prevalence of commercial funding of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of dietary supplement interventions for weight loss.

We conducted a rapid review of English-language RCTs published between 1 January 2023, testing dietary supplements for weight loss. Funding sources were extracted from full texts and categorized as industry, nonprofit, trade association, academic, government, or other. Commercial funders, trade associations, and nonprofits were further reviewed for ties to supplement sales.

Of 74 articles reviewed, 59% (n = 44) reported commercial funding, involving 64 unique funders and 118 instances of commercial involvement. More than half of funders sold dietary supplements or had affiliated companies that did, though some affiliations could not be verified due to limited transparency. No nonprofit funders had ties to supplement sales.

The majority of RCTs evaluating dietary supplements for weight loss reported commercial funding. Further research is needed to assess whether such funding influences study findings.