Positive Health Online

Abstract

TRUMBO, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA, PaulaTrumbo@fda.gov, has reported on the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA)'s review of the evidence for selenium and vitamin E as cancer preventives. Abstract: Health claims are authorized for the labelling of foods when there is significant scientific agreement among qualified experts on the evidence for a relationship between a food or food component and a disease. Qualified health claims are permitted when there is less scientific evidence for a food-disease relationship, therefore requiring qualifying language. The evidence for a relationship between vitamin E and heart disease and selenium and cancer was reviewed by the US FDA. It was determined that there was insufficient evidence to permit a qualified health claim for vitamin E and cancer, whereas there was some evidence for permitting a qualified health claim for selenium and cancer. The rationale for these conclusions is discussed in this paper.

Background

Methodology

Results

Conclusion

References

Trumbo PR. The level of evidence for permitting a qualified health claim: FDA's review of the evidence for selenium and cancer and vitamin E and heart disease. Journal of Nutrition 135 (2): 354-356, Feb 2005.

Comment

Comment: In this review by the US FDA, they considered that there was sufficient evidence to permit a qualified health claim for selenium and cancer.