Health Claims, Berry Benefits & Clinical Trials Part 1 of 2
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[follow the Wikipedia links] The last 3 essays from the Berry Doctor's Journal have presented research on the potential health effects of having berries in the diet inflammation and pain prevention There are many other possible benefits of having an antioxidant-rich diet through consumption of berries and other pigmented plant foods outlined in the 5 a Day Color Way However.... limited clinical studies* exist on the health benefits of berries or berry juice, despite growing popular belief based sparingly on science but mainly on a large amount of tradition, lore, appealing taste, effective marketing and -- too often -- outright false claims... [* Since 2004, cranberries have an allowable claim in France for reducing the incidence of urinary tract infections from multiple continuous months of juice consumption. This is the only berry with an approved health claim] As consumers, we need to be cautious about what is stated on product labels. What scientific evidence is needed to make a claim credible? What guidelines do we follow? Whom do we trust?
A British Columbian cranberry bog. Beginning the harvest of a berry with advanced clinical research.
When health benefits are verified by published scientific evidence and agreement among experts, then claims about berries and their potential uses in diets, health-promoting foods and supplements can be provided to the public. In 2005, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) published a review by scientific experts of the functional food industry (link below, click it), outlining requirements to establish claims about the health benefits of a food or juice. The IFT study report Current US Legal Standards for Health-Related Claims About Functional Foods (click) On May 16, 2007, the European Union Food Safety Authority published its guidelines for making health claims on product labels, read it here (click) Experts agree that a “claim is valid based on the totality of publicly available scientific evidence, including evidence from well-designed studies conducted in a manner consistent with generally recognized procedures and principles.” The standard of scientific validity for a health claim includes two components: 1) that the total publicly available evidence supports the substance vs. disease relationship that is the subject of the claim, and 2) that there is significant scientific agreement among qualified experts that the relationship is valid. As that chain of proof has not yet been fully established for berry nutrients and associated health claims, no berries or berry-derived products -- except the cranberry benefit allowed in France-- have a valid claim. So now, have a look at your favorite berry product and its label, or look it up via Google. Is there a specific health claim associated with using the product and is it scientifically valid and credible? Nearly all are not. Most claims are falsified marketing hype. If goji is your favorite berry, have a look at some of the regulatory analysis about goji products...
Europe, Canada and the USA
Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon L.) ready for processing. Courtesy of Bremner Foods Next week, we'll examine the value of human clinical trials for establishing credibility about a food's health benefits. Archives (click!)
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