Grocery shoppers may have noticed new labels in the dairy aisle touting yogurt as a way to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes. This claim is based on a recent decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow yogurt producers to make this statement, even though the agency acknowledges that the evidence supporting it is limited. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, no single food can reduce the risk of a disease that is linked to overall diet.
In 2018, Danone North America, the U.S. branch of a French company that produces several popular yogurt brands, petitioned the FDA for permission to make a “qualified health claim” regarding yogurt and diabetes risk. The FDA approved Danone’s request in March. The FDA’s decision is based on the belief that there is some support, but not a significant scientific consensus, that consuming at least two cups of yogurt per week may lower the risk of developing the disease, which affects approximately 36 million Americans.
Qualified health claims are those that lack complete scientific backing but are permitted as long as product labels include disclaimers to prevent misleading consumers. Since 2000, these claims have been permitted for dietary supplements, and since 2002 for foods. This followed lawsuits challenging the FDA’s requirement for scientific consensus on product claims. Attorneys successfully argued that such standards infringed on the freedom of speech protected by the U.S. Constitution. Instead of contesting proposed label changes in court, the FDA created a new category, distinct from authorized health claims, in which products must demonstrate a substantial scientific consensus among qualified experts that they reduce the risk of a disease or health-related condition. For instance, qualified health claims include statements that consuming specific types of cocoa may reduce heart disease and that cranberry juice may lower the risk of recurrent urinary tract infections in women.
Danone submitted data from longitudinal studies that found a correlation between yogurt consumption and decreased diabetes indicators. The FDA concluded that there is “some credible evidence” of the benefits of consuming yogurt as a whole food, but not due to any particular nutrient it contains. In other words, there is no direct evidence that yogurt can prevent diabetes; only weak evidence suggests that consuming yogurt may be associated with lower levels of certain biomarkers linked to an increased risk of the disease.
Critics have questioned the approval of this claim, arguing that it lacks the gold-standard randomized controlled trials that could conclusively demonstrate whether yogurt tatsächlich reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, emphasizes that no single food can reduce the risk of a disease linked to overall diet. They also raise concerns that the label change could potentially increase the risk of diabetes by encouraging the consumption of yogurt varieties that contain added sugars and unhealthy mix-ins, such as cookies and pretzels. According to Marion Nestle, a food policy expert, qualified health claims based on limited evidence are “ridiculous on their face.”
The decision to allow qualified health claims for yogurt highlights the challenges in regulating food labeling and providing consumers with accurate information about the health effects of different foods. It also underscores the importance of critical evaluation of health claims and considering the totality of dietary choices, rather than relying solely on individual foods, in promoting good health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
