A single score for vitamins and minerals from food and supplements
Development of a Total Nutrient Index
This project creates a simple score that adds up vitamins and minerals from foods and dietary supplements to show how well children and adults meet recommended intakes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tallahassee, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11369594 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I'm a patient, this work builds a clear number I can use to understand my total vitamin and mineral intake from both food and supplements. The team created the Total Nutrient Index (TNI) using large U.S. dietary and supplement data and compared the score to blood nutrient measurements. They found the TNI matched biological markers better than diet-only measures. Now they are refining the index to look at specific nutrient combinations and differences across age groups for more personalized nutrition guidance.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be U.S. children or adults who use or do not use dietary supplements and who can provide dietary information and possibly blood samples.
Not a fit: People whose concerns fall outside the eight micronutrients studied or those unwilling to provide dietary information or samples may not see direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help people and clinicians spot common nutrient shortfalls and guide better food or supplement choices.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier work by the team validated the TNI against nutrient biomarkers and found it correlated better than diet-only measures, though applying it for precision nutrition is newer.
Where this research is happening
Tallahassee, United States
- Florida State University — Tallahassee, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bailey, Regan — Florida State University
- Study coordinator: Bailey, Regan
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.