Dietary Supplements Informatics Framework

Problem and Need for the Study

Most U.S. adults (77%) take dietary supplements (DS) and 87% of them express overall confidence in the safety, quality and efficacy of DS (Council for Responsible Nutrition, 2020). However, dietary supplement safety is not always guaranteed. Information about DS is fragmented across biomedical literature, social media, and the FDA’s spontaneous reporting system.

To optimize the safe and effective use of DS, there is a critical need for an informatics framework with innovative tools and resources. This framework will enable researchers to better understand the efficacy and safety of DS by integrating multimodal data sources, including real-world EHR data.

Innovation and Impact

This project aims to create an enriched DS knowledge base (eDISK) and develop a translational informatics framework (iDISK-Mine) using innovative informatics approaches. These tools will facilitate dietary supplements research using real-world EHR data from multiple sites.

This is the first project to develop a translational informatics framework to advance DS research using multimodal data sources. The framework will also explore how specific patient populations, such as individuals with depression, use dietary supplements based on real-world EHR data. The successful completion of this project will deliver a novel informatics framework with valuable tools and resources, advancing dietary supplement research.