Table 1.

Dietary supplement categories in the US military dietary supplement use study

Category	Definition
Dietary supplement	Any substance defined by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act(1)
Multivitamin/multimineral	DS containing two or more vitamins and/or two or more minerals with no additional supplement ingredients
Protein or amino acid	Amino acid mixtures, protein powders and similar products where the intent is to provide a single or complex protein source
Individual vitamin or mineral	DS that is a single vitamin or mineral supplement, such as vitamin D or Ca
Herbal supplement	DS that includes one or more herbal ingredients with no nutrient or other supplement ingredient. Also includes plant-derived ingredients.
Purported prohormone	Steroidal hormone or herbal substitute for hormones marketed as a DS and included the Supplement Facts panel on the label.
Combination product	DS with mixtures of ingredients from any of the above categories including two or more categories and multiple ingredients. Includes products marketed as weight loss, pre- or post-workout supplements, and muscle/body building products.
Joint health product	Substance that purports to improve the functioning of body joints such as glucosamine (with or without chondroitin) or methylsulfonylmethane
Fish oils	DS that provide n-3 fatty acids such as krill oil
Other dietary supplement	Other DS that does not fit into the categories above

DS, dietary supplement.