Dietician backs yoghurt health claims
Experts at the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) threw out 180 claims made about probiotic ingredients.
Ten claims were rejected outright while the remaining 170 could not be assessed because of insufficient evidence of their effects.
Health claims made by the manufacturers of best-selling yoghurt drinks Actimel and Yakult were not included in the study because they were withdrawn before they could be assessed.
They have since resubmitted their claims but the results will not be available until next year.
Valerie Kelly, a dietician and spokeswoman for the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, said there was some evidence that probiotic yoghurt drinks can be used to treat a variety of conditions. “There is good evidence for their use in treating diarrhoea, especially antibiotic- associated diarrhoea,” she said.
Ms Kelly, who works in Temple Street Children’s Hospital, said there was also evidence that they were effective in treating gastroenteritis and there was also strong evidence that they prevent ear and respiratory infections in children.
But, she said, the evidence for other health claims was not “rock solid”.
She also questioned television advertisements suggesting that a child would never get a cold or flu if they were given a probiotic yoghurt.
“I do think some companies would try to lead people to believe that probiotic drinks will protect you against all illnesses and that is definitely not the case,” she said.
But, she added, whatever about the health claims, yoghurt-based probiotic drinks did help children and adults to include extra calcium in their diet.
“We know that about 30% of children are not getting enough calcium and probiotic drinks made from yoghurt are a good way of supplementing their diet because they taste good,” she added.
EFSA is reviewing all health claims made for food products after the introduction of a new EU law in 2006 that stipulates that all medical-sounding marketing claims must be verified.
Their findings will be used in future to prosecute and fine companies that dress up their products with bogus health claims.
