Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to lactose
and increase in calcium absorption leading to an increase in calcium
retention (ID 668) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC)
No 1924/2006[sup]1[/sup]
EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA)2, 3
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, Italy
Słowa kluczowe:
Lactose
absorption
calcium
health claims
retention
1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika
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Zwiększenie wchłaniania wapnia prowadzące do zwiększenia zasobów wapnia w organizmie
The food constituent that is the subject of the health claims is lactose.
Lactose is a disaccharide of glucose and galactose and the primary sugar of mammalian milk. Lactose can be measured in foods by established methods.
The Panel considers that the food constituent, lactose, which is the subject of the health claim, is sufficiently characterised.
2. Znaczenie oświadczenia dla zdrowia człowieka
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Zwiększenie wchłaniania wapnia prowadzące do zwiększenia zasobów wapnia w organizmie
The claimed effect is “calcium absorption”. The Panel assumes that the target population is the general population.
The Panel assumes that the claimed effect is related to an increase in intestinal calcium absorption. The Panel notes that the claimed effect (improved nutrient absorption) is only considered beneficial where absorption is a limiting factor for the maintenance of adequate status of the nutrient and where increased absorption leads to increased retention.
The Panel considers that an increase in calcium absorption leading to an increase in calcium retention might be a beneficial physiological effect.
3. Naukowe uzasadnienia wpływu na zdrowie człowieka - Zwiększenie wchłaniania wapnia prowadzące do zwiększenia zasobów wapnia w organizmie
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Zwiększenie wchłaniania wapnia prowadzące do zwiększenia zasobów wapnia w organizmie
The vast majority of references provided for the scientific substantiation of the claim were textbooks and narrative reviews which did not contain any original data which could be used for the scientific substantiation of the claim and one letter to the editor which did not contain sufficient information for a full scientific evaluation. Some human and animal studies addressed outcomes other than the claimed effect, such as zinc absorption, the effect of lactose on plasma calcium concentrations, which is not a direct measure of absorption or retention, or intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity. Four human studies assessed the effect of lactose on calcium absorption only without addressing calcium
retention (Abrams et al., 2002; Kobayashi et al., 1975; Schuette et al., 1991; Zittermann et al., 2000). The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from these studies for the scientific substantiation of the claim.
One study examined the effect of lactose on calcium absorption and retention in 18 pre-term, very low birth weight infants (<1400 g) (Wirth et al., 1990). The Panel considers that the evidence provided does not establish that results obtained in infants below three months of age can be extrapolated to the general population of children and adults with regard to calcium absorption, because of differences in the developing gastro-intestinal tract compared with the mature gastro-intestinal tract.
Three metabolic balance studies assessed calcium absorption and retention in healthy term infants (Moya et al., 1992; Moya et al., 1999; Ziegler and Fomon, 1983). The Panel notes that metabolic balance studies, in which calcium intake is assessed against calcium excretion, do not allow calcium absorption or retention to be determined with sufficient precision and are therefore not reliable to assess calcium absorption or retention. The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from these studies for the scientific substantiation of the claim.
The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of lactose and an increase in calcium absorption leading to an increase in calcium retention.
Wnioski
On the basis of the data presented, the Panel concludes that:
The food constituent, lactose, which is the subject of the health claim, is sufficiently characterised.
The claimed effect is “calcium absorption”. The target population is assumed to be the general population. An increase in calcium absorption leading to an increase in calcium retention might be a beneficial physiological effect.
A cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of lactose and an increase in calcium absorption leading to an increase in calcium retention.
