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 < .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.