National Institutes of Health upgrades Dietary Supplement Label Database

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has revamped its Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD), which encapsulates both current and historical label information of dietary supplements marketed in the U.S. The database currently includes information on nearly 130,000 supplement product labels and “is regularly updated to reflect the constantly changing marketplace,” says an NIH press release. Upgrades were made to modernize the site and make it easier for users to find and share dietary supplement information.

The updated site features a streamlined search engine with which users can more easily search for a product or brand name, ingredient name, dietary claim, or other parameters. The site also links to government resources on dietary supplements. “Searching the database is now faster,” says NIH. “The search interface has been streamlined to help users find the labels they need intuitively and efficiently, and the modernized search engine returns complex search results rapidly.”

Search results can also be downloaded in three different formats (.CSV, .XLSL, JSON); moreover, application developers and data scientists can access the data via a public application program interface (API). The site also now runs on a modernized, cloud-based technology platform that will be scalable for future NIH needs.

“These upgrades mean healthcare professionals, researchers, consumers, and others will not only have an easier time finding what they’re looking for, they’ll find it in the formats they need, which is particularly important when you’re trying to answer questions about dietary supplements and their ingredients,” said Emily Conner, project lead for Abt Associates, the global consulting and research firm that completed the redesign and IT modernization for NIH.