Page 56 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Winter 2015

outcomes under specific conditions beyond simple Group, Consumer Labs, Informed Choice, NSF,
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changes in surrogate markers, 35–37 making their use ap- and US Pharmacopeial Convention (Figure 3). Special
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pealing to SOF. Results from a recent systematic review Operators and medical providers can contribute to the
and meta-analysis of studies assessing the use of dietary quality of dietary supplements available in the United
supplements reported that three-fourths of US SOF States by reporting adverse events associated with di-
surveyed used dietary supplements daily. The high etary supplements to Natural Medicines Watch through
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prevalence of use, a rise in tainted dietary supplements the HPRC website. A comprehensive performance nu-
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recalled by the Food and Drug Administration, and trition program addresses foundational health by sup-
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the relatively small proportion of products available to porting and promoting foods and products shown to
military personnel that have undergone third-party test- prevent chronic disease and enhance the immune system
ing for purity warrant concern over their use by SOF. (Tables 2 and 3).
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Resources available to military personnel for evaluation
of dietary supplement safety and efficacy, coupled with Active Component: Occupation and
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those for certification of purity, 42–46 provide a means Environmental Task-Specific Performance
for increasing the safety of use through systematic and
evidence-based assessment of products and ingredients With a focus on foundational health through a deliber-
used by SOF. Special Operators and medical providers ate everyday diet, Special Operators are better positioned
should use the Human Performance Resource Center to optimize task-specific performance nutrition through
(HPRC) to monitor tainted supplement safety alerts event fueling and post-event recovery, body composition,
through Operation Supplement Safety, and to evaluate mental function, and arduous environment preparedness.
dietary supplements for safety and efficacy through the
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Dietary Event fueling and post-event recovery
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supplement purity should be verified through third-party Science has made great strides toward understanding
verification entities such as Banned Substances Control human fuel use, preferential substrate selection, and

Figure 3 Dietary supplement evaluation.

44 Journal of Special Operations Medicine Volume 15, Edition 4/Winter 2015