To learn more
National organizations and websites*
Along with the American Cancer Society, other sources of information and support include:
National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements
Telephone: 301-435-2920
Website: https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/makingdecisions.sec.aspx
Excellent information about wise supplement use and detailed fact sheets about individual vitamins and supplements. Also has an app you can use to keep up with supplements on your smart phone; choose My Dietary Supplements Mobile App on the left menu bar.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Toll-free number: 1-888-644-6226
TTY: 1-866-464-3615
Website: https://nccih.nih.gov/
Has information on complementary and alternative therapy -related topics and clinical trials
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
About Herbs and Botanicals
Website: www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/about-herbs-botanicals-other-products
Provides evidence-based information about herbs, botanicals, supplements, and more, for consumers and health care professionals
US Food and Drug Administration
Toll-free number: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
Website: www.fda.gov
Information about labels, rules, regulations, and more about dietary supplements as well as tips for spotting frauds and scams
US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Information Center
Telephone: 301-504-5414
Website: http://fnic.nal.usda.gov
Choose “Dietary Supplements” from the left menu bar for info on nutrients, botanicals, herbs, and access to the International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) database
MedWatch
Toll-free number: 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088)
Website: www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/
Choose “Consumer-Friendly Reporting Form” if you wish to report an adverse event; or you can call them to report any ill effects
US Pharmacopeia (USP)
Toll-free number: 1-800-227-8772
Website: www.usp.org
More about USP and NF, and their standards
National Council Against Health Fraud
Website: www.ncahf.org
Offers information on health myths, fraud, and quackery as public health problems, using the principles of science to help consumers avoid scams
No matter who you are, we can help. Contact us anytime, day or night, for information and support. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
Dietary Supplements: What Is Safe?
- What you need to know first about dietary supplements
- Risks and side effects of dietary supplements
- Dietary supplement advertising and promotion
- Talking with your doctor about dietary supplements
- Common misconceptions about dietary supplements
- FDA regulation of drugs versus dietary supplements
- Manufacturing guidelines for dietary supplements
- Understanding the claims on dietary supplement labels
- Choosing and using dietary supplements safely
- To learn more
- References
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and master’s-prepared nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Last Medical Review: March 31, 2015 Last Revised: March 31, 2015
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.