IADSA on health claims

Relying solely on human intervention studies to substantiate health claims is impractical and the Codex Alimentarius recommendations for the scientific basis of health claims should take into account the totality of evidence, the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations says. The draft of the recommendations states human trials are the prime source of evidence to back health claims and "makes no reference to evidence based on traditional knowledge and history of use," IADSA says. While human trials are important, they are only one source of information and "all sources of scientific data have inherent limitations, hence the need to focus on the totality of the available data and weighing of the evidence," says David Richardson, scientific adviser to the U.K. Council for Responsible Nutrition and IADSA. CRN and other members of the supplement and nutrition industry have long protested the pharmaceutical model of testing nutrients (1"The Tan Sheet" May 7, 2007, p. 12)...