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ODS Releases Five-Year Plan
March 1, 2004
2 Min Read
ODS Releases Five-Year Plan
BETHESDA, Md.--The National Institutes of Healths Office ofDietary Supplements (ODS) released a new five-year strategic plan for 2004through 2009. The plan includes promoting ongoing evaluation of existing ODSprograms, assessing needs for new programs and prioritizing resource allocation,as well as conducting annual consultative meetings and forming an ODS steeringcommittee.
The plan, announced Jan. 28, was discussed by Paul Coates, Ph.D., ODSdirector, at Focus on the Future, a four-day conference sponsored by Virgopublishing, INSIDERs parent company. The overall message is westill need to do more research, Coates said of the plan, particularly thewhy and how people use supplements. He added that although the plan is broad,it allows for accommodations to be made under outlined goals.
According to ODS, the plan was created to promote the health of the publicand to meet the congressional mandates outlined in the Dietary Supplement Healthand Education Act (DSHEA). The five goals of the new plan are as follows:
Expand the evaluation of the role of dietary supplements in disease prevention and in the reduction of risk factors associated with disease.
Foster research that evaluates the role of dietary supplements in maintaining and improving optimal physical and mental health and performance.
Stimulate and support research to further understanding of the biochemical and cellular effects of dietary supplements on biological systems and their physiological impact across the life cycle.
Promote and support the development and improvement of methodologies appropriate to the scientific study of dietary supplement ingredients.
Expand and conduct outreach activities that inform and educate the public, health care providers and scientists about the benefits and risks of dietary supplements.
The first ODS strategic plan, developed in 1998, provided a sound basisfor program development, Coates said. But times have changed and anotherleap forward is needed. The new ODS strategic plan provides a roadmap intendedto catalyze research that will expand the scientific knowledge base to improvehealth of the public.
In addition, ODS reported there is a need for more data on quantitative andqualitative aspects of dietary supplement intake. As a result, ODS isconsidering the concept of a dietary supplement ingredient database (DSID). Datafrom the proposed DSID would provide standardized methods and materials that canbe used in collecting data for DSID.
In 2003, the ODS--which was allocated $20 million for the fiscal year--wasfunding 69 grants for investigator-initiated research, six botanical researchcenters, and nine training and career development grants.
At Focus on the Future, Coates encouraged industry to discuss concerns withODS. We like people to feel like they can and should come to us about how andwhere ODS should be going, he stated.
For more on the plan, visit http://ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/SP10B.Web.pdf.
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