[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 29, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26916-26917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-13376]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Workshop on the Role of Dietary Supplements for Physically Active 
People

    Notice is hereby given of the NIH Workshop on ``The Role of Dietary 
Supplements For Physically Active People,'' which will be held June 3-
4, 1996, in the Natcher Conference Center of the National Institutes of 
Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. The conference 
begins at 8 a.m. on both days.
    Scientific research linking dietary supplements to health over the 
life span can be viewed as a relatively new area of research. In the 
early part of this century, nutrition sciences and dietary 
recommendations were focused on the identification and treatment of 
nutritional deficiency diseases. Although the American people have been 
consuming vitamin and mineral supplements for decades, the direct 
relationship between diet and health and, therefore, the potential role 
for nutrients beyond the minimum levels required to avoid deficiencies, 
has become apparent only within the last 15 years. The possible roles 
of other food components and derivatives of natural products in 
promoting health and preventing disease are also now being recognized. 
The publication of the Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health 
and the Diet and Health report from the National Academy of Sciences 
further highlighted the breadth of understanding of the diet-health 
relationship. Scientific research on the characterization of the 
potential roles of individual nutrients and compounds as dietary 
supplements has grown dramatically in the 1990s.
    Dietary supplements in the United States are usually defined as 
comprising plant extracts, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and hormonal 
products that are available without prescription and may be consumed in 
addition to the regular diet. Considerable research on the effects of 
dietary supplements has been conducted in Asia and Europe, where plant 
products have a long tradition of use. The overwhelming majority of 
supplements have not been studied scientifically, and therefore, it is 
important to conduct research to determine the benefits and risks of 
the use of promising dietary supplements and to interpret available 
scientific information so that the public may understand its contents. 
One strong and continuing public health message to the American people, 
based on such scientific information, is that moderate exercise should 
become a part of their daily lives. Physical activity has been shown to 
reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease through its effects on high 
blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus/insulin 
resistance, and obesity. Americans should heed the advice of health 
professionals and adopt a more physically active lifestyle that 
includes a planned exercise component. This scientific workshop will 
focus on the role of dietary supplements for

[[Page 26917]]

physically active people who are interested in health promotion, in 
improving their personal performance in recreational sports, or in 
reduction of general fatigue. The goal of the meeting is to develop a 
research agenda that will identify key areas warranting further 
investigation.
    The workshop will bring together specialists in aging, human 
anatomical configurations, child development, clinical nutrition, 
cognitive science, dietary supplements, dietetics, endocrinology, 
exercise physiology, exercise science, growth and development, 
kinesiology, medicine, nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, pediatrics, 
physiology, sports medicine, and women's health issues. These 
scientists will present reviews of the current state of scientific 
knowledge regarding selected dietary supplements and physical activity. 
Although scientific studies in many of the areas to be addressed in 
this workshop have often necessarily included primarily studies of 
elite athletes, the focus of this workshop is on the more typical 
healthy person who is physically active.
    Primary sponsors of this workshop are the Office of Dietary 
Supplements, NIH, in conjunction with the American Society for Clinical 
Nutrition and the American Institute of Nutrition. The workshop will be 
cosponsored by the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine; the National 
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institute on Aging; the 
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; 
the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; the 
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; the 
National Institute of Dental Research; the National Institute of 
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; and the National Institute 
of Mental Health.
    Advance information on the conference program and conference 
registration materials may be obtained from: Annette Besignano, 
Technical Resources International, Inc., 3202 Tower Oaks Blvd., Suite 
200, Rockville, Maryland 20852, (301) 770-3153, [email protected].
    The proceedings of this workshop will be published as a supplement 
to the American Journal of Nutrition.

    Dated: May 14, 1996.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 96-13376 Filed 5-28-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M