Enough is enough

WHEN DOES THE EVIDENCE JUSTIFY THE CLAIM?

One might as well ask “How high is high?” as to ask just when is there enough science to communicate the benefits of a particular product to the public. The answer, of course, is: “it depends”. In the case of making a claim for a food product the conditions on which the claims depend are vast. If the person or group making the claim is motivated by a sincere desire (albeit misguided) for the good of society and has no profit motive lurking in the background, then almost any claim can be made. Garlic prevents the common cold; ginseng improves the memory (or is that ginko biloba, I forget); ketchup prevents cancer….wait a minute—isn’t that true? So a group (Men Against Prostate Cancer) can say it; an individual health writer can state it; but Heinz had better not say it or they’re in big trouble.

In most western countries there are strict regulations against making a claim for the effect of a particular food on the body, no matter how strong the scientific evidence that such a claim is valid. The restrictions are loosening up somewhat so that now certain qualified claims may be made: “A diet rich in calcium might protect against the development of osteoporosis. Food X is rich in calcium” is a hybrid claim of a number of countries…but is the public well served by such restrictions? Yes and no.

Yes, because we know that if a person’s diet is made up for the most part of cakes and colas, then taking the occasional glass of milk is not likely to guarantee healthy bones well into their golden years. No, if the bureaucratic language fails to convince an otherwise healthful eater that this calcium-rich food is an important armament in the fight against brittle bones.

On the other hand, some foods are so praised by the media that they don’t have to make a claim. People have become so convinced through magazine, TV and newspaper articles of the value of omega-3 fatty acids that egg cartons need only mention that they contain the stuff and nothing more need be said. Free-range hens and the eggs thereof can demand a price double that of their cooped up sisters with nary a claim in sight, it being so obvious that happy hens and eggs make for better eating than their miserable counterparts.

The flip side of the argument is that sometimes no matter how persuasive the arguments for a particular food or food group, no matter how powerful the group endorsing it (governments, for example), it’s still a hard sell. Exhibit A in this case would be vegetables and fruit. These foods are still under-consumed by the vast majority of consumers despite the vigorous urging of government, health professionals and health agencies to have at least five servings a day. Milk products, conversely, get no such endorsement, in fact the opposite is often the case and paid advertisements are severely limited in the claims they can make. And therein lies the rub: the anti-dairy groups can and do make incredible claims against dairy foods, citing milk as the cause of everything from autism to zits. Freedom of speech laws protect these nay-sayers and the public is constantly bombarded with false information about the effect of milk and milk products on the human body.

What to do? Well, in several countries steps have been taken to persuade regulators that certain health and nutrition claims are valid and justified. These attempts have been met with various degrees of success, but always the efforts have been long and laborious. Often times the issue boils down to the volume of evidence necessary to make a case (dairy calcium and osteoporosis); in other cases the small amount of research is so persuasive that it’s amazing that the claim isn’t permitted immediately (dairy calcium and kidney stones). Other situations are such that just not enough people are interested ( dairy and gout reduction!). But in my view the most effective way to execute an end run around the health-claim regulations is to get the buy-in of the media. There is little doubt that the media are the gate-keepers at the trough of nutrition information. Are soy-product sales at an all-time high because of advertising regulations, or did the claims find acceptance because of interest stirred up by the media? Are omega-3s on everyone’s lips (literally and figuratively) because of health claims, or because every health writer and her cousin became convinced of their value? And who led the fight against trans fatty acids?