Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Clear Your Cache

Health.mil has undergone a recent update. For the best user experience we recommend clearing your browser cache.

Dietary Supplements: Educate Yourself First Before Trying Them

Image of Photo of a dinner plate with food and dietary supplements next to it. The supplement business is a multi-billion dollar industry that is not regulated like conventional food and drug products by the Food and Drug Administration. The use of supplements is designed to add further nutritional value to the diet, not act as a meal replacement (Photo by: Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam, 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs).

Many military service members love dietary supplements.

Steeped in a culture of fitness and optimal performance, military professionals take dietary supplements at far higher rates than their civilian counterparts. Studies show that nearly two in every three service members takes some sort of daily dietary or herbal supplement.

Some supplements include basic ingredients like protein or multi-vitamins. Troops cite reasons for taking supplements that include "fitness, physical appearance, and occupational demands," according to one 2021 study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Yet, many others contain unfamiliar and unregulated ingredients that are hyped as tools for boosting testosterone and sexual performance, or speeding up the natural process for body building and losing weight.

"Many of these can be contaminated with undeclared drug ingredients, steroids, steroid-like ingredients and/or prescription drugs," said Dr. Melissa Givens, director of the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP).

Dietary supplements - and their sometimes dubious claims of health effects - are regulated differently than conventional foods or drugs by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

All dietary and herbal supplements claims are labeled with the disclaimer: "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

Dietary and herbal supplement firms are responsible on their own for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. FDA is responsible for taking action against any adulterated or misbranded dietary supplement product after it reaches the market.

Marketers and advertisers often target service members with flashy logos and quick-fix claims about these supplements. That's why, to counter any health-related misinformation, CHAMP has created an online reference tool called Operation Supplement Safety.

Here you can find a list of prohibited dietary supplements that are considered high risk or are unapproved drugs. You'll also find the brands and names these supplements are marketed under.

DOD follows federal regulations on dietary supplements.

"Operation Supplement Safety's mission is to provide the best evidence-based information about dietary supplements to service members, their families, health care providers, and leaders to achieve human performance optimization," Givens explained.

"OPSS's goal is to provide the tools and resources to help users make informed decisions about dietary supplements."

OPSS includes an "Ask the Expert" feature that allows users to post questions about supplements directly to health experts.

Military personnel working towards becoming professional body builders
(From left to right) U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Lopez, Petty Officer 3rd Class Kaleb Kirkpatrick and Seaman Shelton Johnson pose for a group portrait at Sector Jacksonville, Florida. Johnson, Lopez, and Kirkpatrick at the time were all amateur body builders working toward becoming professional body builders (Photo by: U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Bobby Nash).

Are Dietary Supplements Dangerous?

Products claiming to boost testosterone levels are often marketed as body-building products.

Testosterone is a natural hormone but artificial testosterone products can elevate those natural hormone levels to the point where "the body slows down regulating the natural production of the hormone and you can become dependent on the product," said Army Capt. Joshua Lockwood, chief of Nutrition Clinical Services at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

"This withdrawal can affect your sleep, increase fatigue, negatively affect your sex drive, and cause steroid cravings," Lockwood said.

These products can damage your liver and kidneys if taken orally over a longer period of time, he said.

Testosterone or artificial testosterone boosting-products can also increase the size of the heart, "where the left ventricle thickens" and can lead to high blood pressure and baldness, Lockwood said.

One of the products on the CHAMPS "prohibited" list is selective androgen receptor modulators, or SARMs, and yet "we see these marketed just off base," Lockwood said.

"The culture is you want to be a strong warrior," Lockwood said. "There's no harm in that unless you go about becoming that strong warrior by use of risky supplements or you are suffering from an altered self-image condition called muscle dysmorphia," which is a mental health disorder in which you can't stop thinking you are small or weak even though you are above average in strength and muscle size.

Performance Fueling

The final piece of advice from experts is to try for performance fueling from your regular diet. CHAMP offers many resources on that topic. Additionally, consult with your health care provider to see what, if any, dietary supplements you might need.

For example, your health care provider may want to check your vitamin D levels as some people are low in that vitamin, especially if they are not regularly exposed to sunlight.

"Eating a well-balanced diet should provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need for optimal health," said Navy Lt. Lorna Brown, head of Naval Hospital Bremerton's Nutrition Management department, Washington state, and a registered dietitian.

"Occasionally people may follow a diet, or have food intolerance or allergy that can affect the intake of some vitamins and minerals. Consult a registered dietitian to see what dietary adjustments can be made or to discuss picking a dietary supplement safely," she said.

You also may be interested in...

Topic
Feb 25, 2025

Public Health

Public Health supports the move from a health care system to a system of health by focusing on the prevention of disease, disability, and death in garrison and while deployed.

Article
Jan 15, 2025

U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine is Updating Guidance on Cold-Weather Injuries

A service member is exposed to cold air in environmental test chamber after undergoing a treatment called ischemic preconditioning

As efforts in the Arctic region continues to accelerate, senior leaders need to be confident that warfighters under their command will be able to operate at peak effectiveness for long periods in extreme cold. That’s why experts in nutrition, physical performance, and extreme environments from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine ...

Article
Jan 14, 2025

U.S. Army Provides Soldiers, Families Variety of Mind, Body Resources

Chaplains and religious affairs specialists provide various types of counseling and training

As the new year begins, soldiers, their families and U.S. Army civilians have a variety of tools and programs available to support their overall well-being. From holistic health and fitness initiatives to spiritual readiness resources, free counseling, sleep assistance, and family support programs, the U.S. Army is committed to fostering resilience ...

Article
Jan 7, 2025

January is National Radon Action Month: Learn to Manage Risk

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated January as National Radon Action Month

The Environmental Protection Agency has designated January as National Radon Action Month, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has chosen the last week of January as Radon Awareness Week. This is the perfect time to think about testing your home for radon.

Article
Dec 27, 2024

Frozen on the Slopes: How a Soldier Learned from a Close Call

Graphic of someone on skis falling in the snow

Several years ago, I was stationed in Colorado. I’d never snow skied, but after my first initiation-by-fire trip, I was feeling comfortable and actually considered myself a somewhat fearless skier. I would go hard and fast until I hit something or just fell. Ski equipment would scatter from where I fell to where I slid to a stop—meaning I spent a lot ...

Video
Dec 9, 2024

Warrior Care: A Marine Finds Community with Art

Warrior Care: A Marine Finds Community with Art

Lance Cpl Sara Vanegas is a Marine with the Wounded Warriors Batallion East at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. She is a talented artist who is finding community through her art and the Warrior Care Program. Learn more about the many resources and programs available at health.mil/warriorcare.

Article
Dec 2, 2024

Military Health Expert Explains how Strength is Relative to Body Weight

People working out outside

Each military service selects its physical fitness tests to meet its unique mission needs. All services’ fitness tests include measures of aerobic fitness, such as a timed run, and muscular health, such as the push-up. Depending on the service, the fitness test can include sprinting, carrying weighted items, or deadlifts.

Article
Sep 23, 2024

Military Infectious Diseases Research Program Focuses on Mitigating Disease Impacts in Large Scale Combat Operations

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Pascual, a preventive medicine specialist with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, processes samples for respiratory virus testing at Nimmarnkolayut Camp, Sa Kaeo, Thailand.

Prolonged care, degraded medical evacuation capability, and overstretched lines of communication during large-scale combat operations could increase the prevalence of disease-related injury and death among warfighters. These risks are what the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command's Military Infectious Diseases Research Program is working ...

Article
Sep 19, 2024

Military Health Expert Clarifies ‘No Pain No Gain’ Workout Myths

Military Health Expert Clarifies ‘No Pain No Gain’ Workout Myths

Injuries are the leading reason for military medical visits each year. Department of Defense active duty service members require medical treatment for injuries almost 5 million times each year (for around 1.5 million individual injuries). Injuries cost millions of lost duty and training days, and billions of dollars each year.

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: March 06, 2025
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery