---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 287c–11"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "287c–11"
heading: "Dietary supplements"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/287c-11"
units:
  - "Chapter 6A — Public Health Service"
  - "Subchapter III — National Research Institutes"
  - "Part E — Other Agencies of NIH"
  - "Subpart 4 — office of dietary supplements"
---

# §287c–11. Dietary supplements

- (a) **Establishment—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall establish an Office of Dietary Supplements within the National Institutes of Health.
- (b) **Purpose—** The purposes of the Office are—
  - (1) to explore more fully the potential role of dietary supplements as a significant part of the efforts of the United States to improve health care; and
  - (2) to promote scientific study of the benefits of dietary supplements in maintaining health and preventing chronic disease and other health-related conditions.
- (c) **Duties—** The [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the Office of Dietary Supplements shall—
  - (1) conduct and coordinate scientific research within the National Institutes of Health relating to dietary supplements and the extent to which the use of dietary supplements can limit or reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease, cancer, birth defects, osteoporosis, cataracts, or prostatism;
  - (2) collect and compile the results of scientific research relating to dietary supplements, including scientific data from foreign sources or the Office of Alternative Medicine;[^1]
  - (3) serve as the principal advisor to the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) and to the Assistant [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) for Health and provide advice to the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the National Institutes of Health, the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Commissioner of Food and [Drugs](/usc/42/11851.md?p=4) on issues relating to dietary supplements including—
    - (A) dietary intake [regulations](/usc/42/201.md?p=d);
    - (B) the safety of dietary supplements;
    - (C) claims characterizing the relationship between—
      - (i) dietary supplements; and
      - (ii)
        - (I) prevention of disease or other health-related conditions; and
        - (II) maintenance of health; and
    - (D) scientific issues arising in connection with the labeling and composition of dietary supplements;
  - (4) compile a database of scientific research on dietary supplements and individual nutrients; and
  - (5) coordinate funding relating to dietary supplements for the National Institutes of Health.
- (d) **“Dietary supplement” defined—** As used in this section, the term “dietary supplement” has the meaning given the term in [section 321(ff) of title 21](/usc/21/321.md?p=ff).

## Footnotes

[^1]: See References in Text note below.

## Source credit

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, § 485C, as added Pub. L. 103–417, § 13(a), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4334; amended Pub. L. 109–482, title I, § 103(b)(43), Jan. 15, 2007, 120 Stat. 3688.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The Office of Alternative Medicine, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), probably should be a reference to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Establishment of the Office of Alternative Medicine was repealed and authority for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was enacted by Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(f) [title VI, § 601], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–337, 2681–387. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was renamed the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health by Pub. L. 113–235, div. G, title II, § 224(1), Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2490. See section 287c–21 of this title and Prior Provisions note under section 283g of this title.

### Amendments

2007—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–482 struck out heading and text of subsec. (e). Text read as follows: “There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1994 and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year.”

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2007 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 109–482 applicable only with respect to amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2007 or subsequent fiscal years, see section 109 of Pub. L. 109–482, set out as a note under section 281 of this title.