supplements, dietary supplements

In the U.S., dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, botanicals, botanical compounds, herbs, live microbials (labeled as probiotics and prebiotics), and amino acids.

Dietary supplements are not regulated as drugs by the FDA for approval before being marketed or sold to the public. The FDA says that although the products are likely intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease and is therefore technically a drug, it is not classified as a drug. Instead, the supplement companies are responsible for ensuring the safety of the products sold to consumers under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. The FDA does periodically inspect the facilities where the products are made.

Use the term dietary supplement rather than just supplement due to the technicalities of regulation and oversight.

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