May 12, 2022
To help service members make informed decisions about dietary supplement use, a new Department of Defense Instruction, DoDI 6130.06: Use of Dietary Supplements in the DoD, was created as part of Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS) initiative. The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) administers the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) program at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, which developed OPSS.
“The instruction (referred to as “the DoDI”) helps guide service members on dietary supplement use and also provides an official list of prohibited substances,” said Andrea Lindsey, Senior Nutrition Scientist and HJF employee who partners with USU to support the OPSS. “Per the DoDI, dietary supplement education is required for all service members and those who provide health-related services to the military, so having OPSS as the go-to is very helpful.”
Service members can look up ingredients and ask questions via an Ask the Expert portal, learn about dietary supplements, and use the OPSS Risk-Assessment Scorecard when considering dietary supplements, as well as access the DoD prohibited list.
The prohibited substances list is updated when an FDA action occurs or new scientific information becomes available regarding dietary supplement ingredients. Service members are not allowed to use any product with an ingredient on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients list.
“HJF understands that the work CHAMP does to help educate service members about dietary supplements is vital,” said HJF CEO and President Joseph Caravalho. “The OPSS website gives service members a useful decision-making tool based on information available.”
For more information about the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement ingredients list, where to report side effects and how to submit a question to an expert, visit opss.org.
Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of HJF and quoted individuals and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.