Food manufacturers can advertise that eating yogurt regularly can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes without objection from the Food and Drug Administration. announced On Friday.
The decision was taken in response to a application Danone North America – the food giant behind key brands such as Dannon, Activia, Wallaby Organic and Silk – launched in 2018. The company wanted FDA recognition if Danone were to market the yogurt because it was able to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The FDA confirmed Friday that it would not oppose the lawsuit, with some caveats. Any language to consumers should note that the evidence is limited and that eating two cups (three servings) of yogurt per week is the threshold for reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Danone submitted its application as part of the FDA’s standard process for what it calls “qualified health claims.” Such claims do not require agency approval, but companies petition the FDA to determine specific language they can safely use without the agency coming after them for making false claims.
Danone’s petition was cited nutritional profile next to the proteins, vitamins and low sodium in yogurt is studying supporting the transition between regular yogurt consumption and reduced risk of diabetes and related conditions.
“The petition also noted that the evidence supports the health effects of yogurt as a food, not related to any single nutrient or combination, and thus independent of fat or sugar content,” the FDA said in its announcement.
Of course, the sugar and fat levels in yogurt vary greatly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while some low-fat or sugar-free yogurts are low in calories and a healthy source of protein, vitamin D, and calcium, flavored yogurts are often high in added sugars and should be limited. The research is long overdue showed a connection between high consumption of added sugar and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Some evidence supporting the health benefits of yogurt a 2022 educationEating fermented dairy products, especially yogurt, “may offer protection against the development of Type 2 diabetes.”
Along with other staples like fresh produce, whole grains, olive oil, and fish, yogurt is part of the Mediterranean diet. A 2020 education found that adherence to the diet significantly reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, a 2016 education found no association between dairy consumption and disease.
While the company was preparing its application, Dr. who gave a scientific opinion to Danone. Dariush Mozaffarian said the FDA’s decision made sense, “especially given the growing evidence for the health benefits of fermented yogurt.”
But Mozaffarian, director of Tufts University’s Institute for Food as Medicine, emphasized that food cannot be marketed as preventing or curing a disease — because then it would be considered medicine.
“I think this is a really significant issue for both the food industry and the FDA because now that we’re learning that food is actually medicine and that food can treat or cure disease in some cases, there’s no regulatory way to get there. ” he said.