Aventura, FL—The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) has introduced the Dietary Supplement Index (DSX), a data-driven tool that collates market data, geographic and demographic data, government health and nutrition, and consumer survey data, all with the end goal of better analyzing and understanding trends and changes in the supplements market, while better seeing the role of supplements in health and wellness.

The DSX looks at supplements in primary categories including General Health (Amino/Antioxidant Supplements, Bone & Joint Supplements, Children’s Supplements, Energy Supplements, Herbal Singles A to Z, Organ, Reproductive Supplements, Stress/Anxiety, Superfood & Whole Food Supplements, Multivitamins & Minerals, and Single Letter Vitamins), Brain Health, Digestive Health, Heart Health, Immunity, and Sleep.

The DSX will use SPINS data as its primary source in order to create a score reflecting supplement category/subcategory unit sales for a quarter or year. The baseline score is 100 for 2019, based on pre-pandemic sales. It can be calculated at a county, state, or regional level, and comparisons can be made across demographics. Changes in the DSX score can be further interpreted by overlaying the DSX with other public data sources from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), CDC, CMS, and others.

The tool will be used to support CHPA in making the case to legislators, health insurers, large employers, and benefits consultants that supplements should be included in healthcare plans. It can also be used to encourage healthcare providers to recommend supplements to patients as part of their regular routine.

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“We are excited to launch this new tool as a way for our industry to better understand how sales and use of supplements to maintain health and manage disease is evolving over time, and what could be driving those trends,” said Duffy MacKay, CHPA Senior Vice President, Dietary Supplements. “We believe this tool can help shape the narrative around the value of dietary supplements as we continue to analyze the DSX and underlying factors.”

Image courtesy of CHPA.


An initial analysis found that between 2019 and 2021, the overall DSX score increased nationally in every category, but growth was led by sleep, immunity, and brain health. The spike in immunity and brain products fits with other trends from these years—immunity concerns surrounding COVID-19, increased anxiety about the economy, and complications from work-at-home requirements.

CHPA will develop targeted reports to enhance stakeholder conversations and increase the credibility and visibility of supplements as part of the future of healthcare.