Minuman Probiotik Tak Terbukti Sehatkan Usus

[kullatiro]

KOMPAS.com — Otoritas keamanan pangan Eropa menyatakan, klaim minuman probiotik yang dapat menyehatkan saluran pencernaan dan sistem imun memiliki landasan ilmiah yang kurang kuat. Oleh karena itu, produsen minuman probiotik dilarang menggunakan kata probiotik lagi dalam penjualannya.

Secara resmi, otoritas keamanan pangan Eropa, EFSA, melakukan penelitian terhadap 800 klaim kesehatan minuman probiotik yang sering diiklankan produsen minuman probiotik. Laporan klaim kesehatan itu didaftarkan oleh industri makanan dan negara-negara anggota EFSA.

Dari penelitian independen yang dilakukan dewan panel ilmuwan EFSA disimpulkan bahwa minuman probiotik tidak terbukti memberikan manfaat kesehatan seperti yang selama ini dipercaya banyak orang, yakni menguatkan kekebalan tubuh, meningkatkan sistem imun, dan mengurangi masalah pencernaan.

Secara terpisah, dewan panel juga menguji 12 studi yang dilakukan oleh Yakult sebagai pemilik hak paten atas bakteri probiotik Lactobacillus casei shirota. Para peneliti menemukan, secara ilmiah tidak cukup bukti bahwa kandungan probiotik tersebut mampu meningkatkan sistem imun untuk melawan penyakit flu.

Saat ini, hampir 60 persen rumah tangga di Inggris Raya membeli minuman probiotik secara rutin. Namun, kelompok konsumen meminta pihak otoritas yang berwenang melakukan penelitian independen agar produsen makanan dan minuman tidak seenaknya memakai klaim kesehatan dalam memasarkan produknya.

Sejak tahun 2007, badan berwenang di Eropa melarang perusahaan makanan untuk menggunakan klaim kesehatan dalam memasarkan produknya kecuali sudah terbukti secara ilmiah. Peraturan yang baru juga mewajibkan negara-negara di Eropa memasukkan klaim kesehatan yang dibuat produsen makanan, termasuk juga dengan 12 bukti ilmiah untuk dipakai sebagai bahan riset independen EFSA.

Danone, pemimpin pasar dalam produk probiotik, memutuskan untuk menarik klaimnya bahwa dua produknya, Actimel dan Activia, meningkatkan kekebalan tubuh dan menyehatkan saluran pencernaan. Saat ini, Danone juga masih menunggu keputusan EFSA untuk pernyataan "susu fermentasi yang mengandung probiotik Lactobacillus casei menurunkan racun Clostridium difficile di usus penyebab diare akut".

Menanggapi pernyataan resmi EFSA tersebut, pihak industri mengatakan keberatan karena EFSA menggunakan standar ilmiah yang terlalu kaku dalam menguji klaim kesehatan tersebut. Mereka juga meminta pertemuan untuk membahas kriteria dan standar yang dipakai.

Sementara itu, Yakult berencana untuk membahas lebih lanjut hasil penelitian yang dilakukan oleh EFSA. Yakult mengatakan, klaim yang ditolak oleh EFSA hanyalah satu aspek dari penelitian yang dia lakukan.

http://health.kompas.com/read/2010/10/26/12400889/Minuman.Probiotik.Tak.Terbukti.Sehatkan.Usus

walah wa juga kadang makan karena probiotik ini.

[FZ]

Source terkait

http://www.ift.org/public-policy-and-regulations/recent-news/2010/october/27c.aspx

October 27, 2010

According to the Guardian, the food industry's probiotics sector was called in to question today by a new European ruling that its health claims are unsupported by sound science. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) posted its formal assessment of the merit of 808 health claims, including widely used assertions that probiotic products boost the immune system. The claims were submitted to the EFSA by the food industry and member states.

The EFSA's panel of independent scientists concluded that the evidence the industry had submitted to support its claims that various food additives could strengthen the body's defenses, improve immune function, and reduce gut problems were either so general as to be inadmissible, or could not be shown to have the claimed effect.

In a separate ruling, the panel examined a dossier of 12 studies submitted by Yakult for its proprietary strain of probiotic bacteria, Lactobacillus casei shirota. The panel found that all were inadequate to support the company's claim that its products maintained immune defenses against the common cold.
The gradual introduction of new EU regulations was finally agreed on in 2007 as a result of pressure from consumer groups. They wanted food companies to be prevented from using health claims to sell products unless they had proved them first, and unless the products were deemed healthy enough overall to warrant claims of benefits. Under the new rules, member states were asked to submit health claims from manufacturers, along with dossiers of scientific evidence, for independent assessment by the EFSA.

Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) collected more than 4,000 claims from the UK industry; across Europe, some 44,000 claims were submitted. EFSA scientists, who were taken by surprise by the volume of claims, whittled these down to 4,000 for detailed assessment.

The opinions published Oct. 19 were the latest in a series of rulings. The EFSA had already published five opinions on claims relating to probiotics, all negative, although a spokeswoman said EFSA scientists "avoid using the term probiotics," since it has no proper scientific meaning.

The new EFSA rulings represent a serious blow to the food industry, which has invested heavily in new, so-called functional foods such as probiotics. These typically sell for high margins, and enable manufacturers to differentiate their products from those of competitors in a crowded market. The EFSA did give some health claims favorable rulings, but they relate to vitamins and minerals for which the effects have long been known, such as the ability of iron to relieve anemia.

The industry has complained that EFSA is applying excessively rigorous scientific standards when assessing the new claims. It has asked for a series of meetings to discuss the criteria. Yakult issued a statement saying its rejected claim was just one aspect of its research. "The claim was supported by well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled human studies," it said. "In response to the EFSA opinion, the company wishes to discuss the evaluation process and this outcome with EFSA. With the benefit of further guidance, the company anticipates a positive EFSA opinion in due course."

[Sumedho]

yoghurt dkk artinya nda efek? wah wah, menarik

[Kristin_chan]

Beh... percuma donk gua ganti susu sarapan gua dengan yogurt... Mahal...

[bawel]

Beh... percuma donk gua ganti susu sarapan gua dengan yogurt... Mahal...

yogurt kan asam? kok untuk sarapan? apa ngak takut kena maag nona chan?