ID 1116 - Katechiny z zielonej herbaty

PL: Katechiny z zielonej herbaty
EN: Catechins – Green tea (camellia sinensis)
Pdf: Camellia sinensis

Oświadczenie (2)

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.

2.4. Zmniejszenie ilości potencjalnie patogennych mikroorganizmów jelitowych (ID 1116)

The claimed effect is “gut flora”. The Panel assumes that the target population is the general population.
Gut flora is not sufficiently defined. In the context of the proposed wording, the Panel assumes that the claimed effect refers to aspects of: “maintain healthy gut flora” and “improve the beneficial bacteria after the antibacterial drug intake”.
The numbers/proportions of bacterial groups that would constitute a “healthy gut flora” have not been established. Increasing the number of any groups of bacteria is not in itself considered as beneficial. The Panel considers that no evidence has been provided that aspects of the claimed effect, “maintain healthy gut flora” and “improve the beneficial bacteria after the antibacterial drug intake”, are beneficial to human health.
The Panel considers that “maintain healthy gut flora” in the context of decreasing potentially pathogenic intestinal microorganisms might be a beneficial physiological effect.

3.4. Zmniejszenie ilości potencjalnie patogennych mikroorganizmów jelitowych (ID 1116)

Four references were cited to substantiate the claimed effect.
One human study (Okubo et al., 1992) reported the effects of administration of 1200 mg polyphenols on intestinal microflora metabolism over four weeks in eight volunteers (22-48 years). Volunteers received polyphenols in the form of “Sunphenon” (Taiyo Kagaku Co Ltd, Japan) which consists of about 70% polyphenols from tea. The Panel notes that the amount of catechins in the product used for this small sample size study was not reported. The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from this study for the substantiation of the claimed effect.
Three references (Ahn et al., 1990 and 1991; Lee et al., 2006) related to in vitro growth inhibition studies with Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze methanol and ethyl acetate/water extracts. The Panel considers that the evidence provided in the in vitro studies is not sufficient to predicting an effect of consumption of catechins from green tea on decreasing potentially pathogenic intestinal microorganisms in humans.
The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of catechins in green tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) and decreasing potentially pathogenic intestinal microorganisms.

Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia

Recommended dosage 250-500ppm Catechins are active and functional polyphenol components of green tea leaves. One cup (200ml) of brewed green tea may contain 100-150 mg of catechins.or equivalent of 50-60mg of EGCG. The usual consumption of green tea is about 5-10 cups per day, which is equivalent to 500-1200 mg of catechins or 250-600 mg of EGCG per day.