ID 1109 -
Herbata
PL: Herbata
EN: Camelia sinensis (Common Name : Tea)
Pdf: Camellia sinensis
1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika
The food constituent that is the subject of the health claims is Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, catechins present in green tea, and epigallo-catechin-3-gallate.
In the wording of claim ID 1105, tannins and fluoride are named as active ingredients in tea in relation to a claimed effect on oral health. The Panel refers to its previous opinion on fluoride in the context of the evaluation of Article 13 claims (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA), 2009); the effects of fluoride (irrespective of the source) on tooth mineralisation will not be considered further in this Opinion.
The plant Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze is an evergreen shrub of the Theaceae family. Tea is an extract of the dried leaves from Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze and it is usually prepared by infusing the leaves in hot water. The composition of the tea leaves depends on a variety of factors, including climate, season, horticultural practices, and the type and age of the plant. Many kinds of tea are produced, which can be classified into three major types according to the different levels of fermentation: green (un-fermented), oolong (semi-fermented) and black (fully fermented) (Wang et al., 2000).
The composition of tea beverages greatly depends on the type of leaves used, on the degree of fermentation and on the methods of preparation (Kaszkin et al., 2004; Astill et al., 2001). The level of fermentation, the production process, and the method for preparing the tea infusion have not been described in relation to the claims.
Green tea contains polyphenolic compounds, which include flavanols, flavandiols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. Most of the polyphenols in green tea are catechins. Epigallo-catechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin in green tea. In black teas, the most abundant polyphenols are tannins, mainly theaflavin and thearubigin (Mukhtar and Ahmad, 2000). Tea extracts/infusions also contain variable amounts of potentially active food constituents, such as caffeine, theanine or theogallin.
Green tea catechins (including EGCG) and tannins in black tea (mainly theaflavin and thearubigin) can be measured in foods by established methods.
The Panel considers that whereas Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (tea) is not sufficiently characterised in relation to the claimed effects, catechins in green tea (including EGCG) and tannins in black tea (for ID 1105) are sufficiently characterised.
2.3. Utrzymanie prawidłowego stanu kości (ID 1109)
The claimed effect is “bone health”. The Panel assumes that the target population is the general population.
In the context of the proposed wordings, the Panel notes that the claimed effect relates to the maintenance of normal bone.
The Panel considers that the maintenance of normal bone is a beneficial physiological effect.
3.3. Utrzymanie prawidłowego stanu kości (ID 1109)
One recent publication reviewed the health effects associated with black tea consumption by searching databases for relevant epidemiological and clinical studies published between 1990 and 2004. The number of epidemiological studies on black tea and bone health was small (n=5), and no intervention studies were found (Gardner et al., 2007). This review includes the cross-sectional, observational study including 1,256 UK women aged 65-76 years by Hegarty et al. (2000) submitted separately in the consolidated list. The Panel notes that tea intake is insufficiently characterised in the observational studies above, that the background diet of the study populations is usually not reported (nor adjusted for), and that in the majority of them only current tea consumption was considered.
Green tea contains epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The effects of EGCG on osteoblastic bone formation using a human osteoblast (HOB)-like cell line (Vali et al., 2007) and the mRNA expressions of relevant osteogenic markers, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and mineralisation (Chen et al., 2005) were tested in vitro. The Panel considers that the evidence provided in the in vitro studies is not sufficient to predict the occurrence of an effect of the consumption of Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze or any of its components on maintenance of normal bone in humans.
The Panel notes that no human studies which addressed the effects of either catechins or tannins in Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze on bone were provided.
The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of either catechins or tannins in Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze and maintenance of normal bone.
Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia
Leaf / Usual consumption as traditional foodstuff in a normal diet / The equivalent of 1-3 cups per
day delivering 360-1080 mg tea solids
