dietary supplement

noun

: a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients (such as vitamins or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food

Examples of dietary supplement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It’s used as a dietary supplement and sold to help consumers feel full, block fat absorption and lower cholesterol. —Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

Plus, protein powder is also technically a dietary supplement, and supplements aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as strictly as prescription medications are. —Sarah Klein, Time, 19 May 2025

Fish oil is a popular dietary supplement made from the fat of oily fish like salmon and mackerel. —Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 25 June 2025

It is sold as a dietary supplement, primarily for its anti-inflammatory properties. —Ashley Wong, Health, 29 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

dietary supplement

noun

: a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients (such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food

The study is looking at whether taking daily dietary supplements of vitamin D₃ or omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk for developing cancer, heart disease and stroke.

—Mary Brophy Marcus, USA Today

A hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain, melatonin also occurs naturally in some foods. It therefore may be sold as a dietary supplement in the United States under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, without premarket approval from the FDA.

—Lynne Lamberg, The Journal of the American Medical Association

… batches of a dietary supplement L-tryptophan that have been implicated in a mysterious disease were produced by a genetically engineered organism.

—Leslie Roberts, Science