Search

Following an application from Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L. submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Spain, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to affron® and contributes to maintain a healthy mood. The scope of the application was proposed to fall under a health claim based on newly developed scientific evidence. The food proposed by the applicant as the subject of the health claim is affron®, an aqueous saffron extract with a content of the sum of crocins and safranal typically between 3.5% and 3.9%. The Panel notes that affron® is sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect proposed by the applicant is 'contributes to maintain a healthy mood'. The Panel notes that increase in positive mood is a beneficial physiological effect for individuals with low mood or anxiety. One human intervention study showed that consumption of affron® at a dose of 28 mg/day for 4 weeks improves mood in a population of adults with low mood. However, the results have not been replicated in other studies. The information supplied by the applicant did not provide evidence for a plausible mechanism by which affron® could exert the claimed effect. The Panel concludes that the evidence is insufficient to establish a cause and effect relationship between the consumption of affron® and increase in positive mood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both maternal Fe deficiency (ID) and being overweight or obese (Ow/Ob, BMI ≥25 kg/m²) may negatively affect offspring brain development. However, the two risk factors correlate and their independent effects on infant neurodevelopment are unclear. PREOBE is a prospective observational study that included 331 pregnant Spanish women, of whom 166 had pre-gestational Ow/Ob. Fe status was analysed at 34 weeks and at delivery, and babies were assessed using Bayley III scales of neurodevelopment at 18 months. In confounder-adjusted analyses, maternal ID at 34 weeks was associated with lower composite motor scores at 18 months (mean 113-3 (SD 9'9) v. 117-1 (SD 9-2), P = 0-039). Further, the offspring of mothers with ID at delivery had lower cognitive scores (114-0 (SD 9-7) v. 121-5 (SD 10-9), P = 0-039) and lower receptive, expressive and composite (99-5 (SD 8-6) v. 107-6 (SD 8-3), P = 0-004) language scores. The negative associations between maternal ID at delivery and Bayley scores remained even when adjusting for maternal Ow/Ob and gestational diabetes. Similarly, maternal Ow/Ob correlated with lower gross motor scores in the offspring (12-3 (SD 2-0) v. 13-0 (SD 2-1), P = 0-037), a correlation that remained when adjusting for maternal ID. In conclusion, maternal ID and pre-gestational Ow/Ob are both negatively associated with Bayley scores at 18 months, but independently and on different subscales. These results should be taken into account when considering Fe supplementation for pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]