Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to sugar beet fibre and increasing faecal bulk pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006
Carlo Agostoni, Jean-Louis Bresson, Susan Fairweather-Tait, Albert Flynn, Ines Golly, Hannu Korhonen, Pagona Lagiou, Martinus Løvik, Rosangela Marchelli, Ambroise Martin, Bevan Moseley, Monika Neuhäuser-Berthold, Hildegard Przyrembel, Seppo Salminen, Yolanda Sanz, Sean (J.J.) Strain, Stephan Strobel, Inge Tetens, Daniel Tomé, Hendrik van Loveren and Hans Verhagen
Acknowledgment
The Panel wishes to thank the members of the Working Group on Claims: Carlo Agostoni, Jean-Louis Bresson, Susan Fairweather-Tait, Albert Flynn, Ines Golly, Marina Heinonen, Hannu Korhonen, Martinus Løvik, Ambroise Martin, Hildegard Przyrembel, Seppo Salminen, Yolanda Sanz, Sean (J.J.) Strain, Inge Tetens, Hendrik van Loveren and Hans Verhagen for the preparatory work on this scientific opinion.
Contact
nda@efsa.europa.eu
Following an application from Nordic Sugar A/S, submitted pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Denmark, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim based on newly developed scientific evidence related to sugar beet fibre and “increasing faecal bulk”. The food constituent that is the subject of the health claim is sugar beet fibre. The Panel considers that sugar beet fibre is sufficiently characterised in relation to the claimed effect. The claimed effect is “increasing faecal bulk”. Increasing faecal bulk may be a beneficial physiological effect. The applicant provided four human and three animal studies. The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from two human studies for the scientific substantiation of the claim. The other two human studies showed an effect of the consumption of sugar beet fibre on increasing faecal bulk. The evidence obtained from three animal studies supports the evidence from human studies. The mechanism by which sugar beet fibre exerts the claimed effect is established. In weighing the evidence the Panel took into account that two human intervention studies showed that consumption of sugar beet fibre increases faecal bulk, that the evidence provided by three animal studies supports that effect, and that the mechanisms by which sugar beet fibre exerts the claimed effect are established. The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has been established between the consumption of sugar beet fibre and increasing faecal bulk. The following wording reflects the scientific evidence: “Sugar beet fibre increases faecal bulk”. In order to bear the claim a food should be at least “high in fibre” as per the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. The target population is the general population.
© European Food Safety Authority, 2011
Following an application from Nordic Sugar A/S, submitted pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Denmark, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to sugar beet fibre and “increasing faecal bulk”.
The scope of the application was proposed to fall under a health claim based on newly developed scientific evidence.
The food constituent that is the subject of the health claim is sugar beet fibre. The term “sugar beet fibre” includes fibre derived from all plants of the species Beta vulgaris L. Sugar beet fibre contains hemicelluloses (22-32 %), pectins (22-29 %), cellulose (19-28 %), protein (5 %), ash (3 %) and moisture (7 %). The presence of both soluble and insoluble polysaccharides is roughly in a 2:1 ratio. This opinion applies to sugar beet fibre naturally present in foods and to those forms added to foods. The Panel considers that the food constituent, sugar beet fibre, which is the subject of the health claim, is sufficiently characterised in relation to the claimed effect.
The claimed effect is “increasing faecal bulk”. The target population proposed by the applicant is people who want to improve or maintain a normal bowel function. The Panel considers that increasing faecal bulk may be a beneficial physiological effect.
The applicant identified four human intervention studies and three animal studies as pertinent to the health claim. The Panel considers that no conclusion can be drawn from two human studies for the scientific substantiation of the claim because faecal bulk was not measured. The other two human intervention studies showed an effect of the consumption of sugar beet fibre on increasing faecal bulk. The Panel notes that the evidence obtained from three provided animal studies supports the evidence derived from human studies on the effect of sugar beet fibre on faecal bulk.
The mechanisms by which components of sugar beet fibre exert the claimed effect have been established. The insoluble components of fibre increase faecal bulk by absorbing water in the large intestine. The soluble components are fermented by bacteria in the large intestine leading to an increase in bacterial mass.
In weighing the evidence the Panel took into account that two human intervention studies showed that consumption of sugar beet fibre increases faecal bulk, that the evidence provided by three animal studies supports that effect, and that the mechanisms by which sugar beet fibre exerts the claimed effect are established.
The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has been established between the consumption of sugar beet fibre and increasing faecal bulk.
The Panel considers that the following wording reflects the scientific evidence: “Sugar beet fibre increases faecal bulk”.
The Panel considers that in order to bear the claim a food should be at least “high in fibre” as per the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. The target population is the general population.
Sugar beet fibre, faecal bulk, health claims
