Label Statements and Perceived Health Benefits of Dietary Supplements

Importance 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. Objectives To evaluate how commonly used structure/function claims are associated with consumer beliefs regarding the health benefits of supplements. Design, Setting, and Participants 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. Main Outcomes and Measures The percentage of participants who reported that the supplement was somewhat likely or very likely to prevent or treat a list of diseases. Results 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 lt; .001). Conclusions and Relevance 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.