Gut health claims

While several studies demonstrated the ability of probiotics to reduce the DNA damage responsible for pre-cancerous lesions in the colon wall, there was still no definitive biomarker for cancer that had been validated, said Dr Ian Rowland, professor of human nutrition at the University of Reading, UK.

Generic claims about the benefits of probiotics were also unlikely to be approved under the new Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, predicted professor Gertjan Schaafsma, business director of food and health and TNO Quality if Life. "The benefits appear to be strain specific."

While strain-specific claims were likely to cover well-known gastronintestinal benefits, there was potential for a raft of new claims, from tackling allergies, to reducing the symptoms of IBS, increasing resistance to infection and reducing the risk of developing inflammatory conditions from ulcerative colitis to arthritis, he said.

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