Dietary supplement safety should be of primary concern to consumers. Because they are assumed to be safe unless proven otherwise, dietary supplements present special safety challenges. In 2000 the FDA received 500 dietary supplement adverse event reports; that number rose to 553 in 2001 and to 1214 in 2002. Adverse events caused by dietary supplements vary from mild to severe and may be influenced by individual health status (medical history and genetic makeup), dietary supplement composition and dosage (including levels of active and inactive ingredients), and concomitant consumption of other substances (including foods, beverages over-the-counter and prescription drugs, and other dietary supplements).