Nazila Yousefi1 , Amir Reza Dowlati2 , Khosrow Bayati3 , Amir Hossein Jamshidi4 , Morteza Nilforushan5 , Morteza Rafiee Tehrani6

Nutritional supplements have long been one of the most important health products in the world. The therapeutic approach of traditional medicine in Iran is restoring balance in the body based on nutrition. In modern medicine, nutritional supplements maintain and promote health. Nutritional supplements in modern medicine supplement the substances that humans need to obtain from sources other than food to compensate for the lack of these substances. Today, various needs such as reduced mobility due to mechanization of activities, changes in diet and use of prepared foods, non-organic food, environmental pollution, food diversity reduction, renders nutritional supplements more important. The market is expanding rapidly..Nomenclature of these products, their legal requirements, claims, applications and related requirements vary from country to country.

This study examines the regulation of nutritional supplements in Iran compared with some other countries. This study done via a mixed method, included reviewing the regulation of nutritional supplements in Iran and the world, interviewing experts, and use of a questionnaire based survey.

According to the results of this study, the Iranian regulatory situation is well regulated and the nutritional products in Iran have good quality, safety, efficiency and pharmaceutical quality.

Although the regulations in Iran properly granted safety, efficacy, and quality of nutritional supplements, in terms of access (accessibility, availability, and affordability), there are still problems that need to be addressed by policymakers in the health system.