FDA Allows Highly Qualified Claim for Green Tea, CertainCancers

FDA Allows Highly Qualified Claim for Green Tea, CertainCancers

WASHINGTONAfter reviewingavailable scientific data, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed toexercise enforcement discretion and allow a qualified health claim stating thereis only weak support that consumption of green tea may reduce the risk of breastand prostate cancers.

The decision was part of FDAs Consumer Health for BetterNutrition Initiative, initially announced in mid-2003, under which the agencyreviews the state of scientific evidence and determines the extent of qualifiersnecessary to allow a health-related claim for food products. Among the claims reviewed under the initiative have been alink between consumption of omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) andcardiovascular disease, and between olive oil and coronary heart disease.

The two qualified health claims released by the agency on June30 were:

Two studies do not show that drinking green tea reduces therisk of breast cancer in women, but one weaker, more limited study suggests thatdrinking green tea may reduce this risk. Based on these studies, FDA concludesthat it is highly unlikely that green tea reduces the risk of breast cancer.

and

One weak and limited study doesnot show that drinking green tea reduces the risk of prostate cancer, butanother weak and limited study suggests that drinking green tea may reduce thisrisk. Based on these studies, FDA concludes that it is highly unlikely thatgreen tea reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

FDA further concluded the evidence did not support qualifiedhealth claims for green tea and any other type of cancers.