Scientific Documents

Dairy foods and healthy body weight - Scientific substantiation of a health claim related to dairy foods and healthy body weight pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006[1] - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies

Summary (478 KB)

Opinion (53 KB)

Summary

Following an application from National Dairy Council submitted pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Ireland, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to dairy and healthy body weight.

The scope of the application was proposed to fall under a health claim referring to children’s development and health.

The food/constituent subject of the health claim is dairy foods, which for this application are defined as including milk, cheese and yogurt. Three portions of dairy foods per day are claimed to promote a healthy body weight in children and adolescents, a portion being specified as 200 ml milk, 28 g cheese or 125 ml yogurt. However, the Panel considers that these foods are not sufficiently characterised, e.g. data on the nutritional composition and its variability between products were not provided.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in the EU is increasing. Dietary factors have an influence on body weight. The Panel considers that a body weight within the normal range is beneficial for the health of children and adolescents. The target population for the intended health claim is healthy children and adolescents.

In the context of this claim, body mass index (BMI) and occasionally body fat estimates are used as proxy measures for a healthy body weight. Of the 5 cross-sectional plus the 7 prospective observations presented, only 4 studies (two cross-sectional and two prospective studies) support an association between the consumption of dairy foods and BMI or body fat estimates in children and adolescents. The Panel noted that cross-sectional studies only provide an association and do not provide sufficient evidence of a cause and effect relationship. The two prospective studies included only a small sample size (53 and 92 subjects) and covered a limited age range (2 to 13 years). However, there are no intervention studies to specifically examine any causal relationship, and there are insufficient data to establish a specific level or frequency of consumption of dairy foods associated with any specific effect on body weight.

On the basis of the data presented, the Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship is not established between the daily consumption of dairy foods (milk, cheese and yogurt) and a healthy body weight in children and adolescents.