Advertising: Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplement advertising in the United States has a long and complex history. It is both a major business enterprise and a form of health communication. Although dietary supplement advertising shares characteristics with advertising for many other consumer goods, it also has some unique challenges stemming from the product, the marketplace environment, and the regulatory situation. A dietary supplement (i.e., nutritional supplement) is a substance, often in the form of a tablet or capsule that is created to enhance the diet or augment nutritional deficiencies. It generally consists of one or more vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, or some mixture thereof. Supplements have been classified as a type of pharmaceutical but are not considered traditional treatments for medical purposes. While supplements may play a role ...