Assessment of Health Claims Related to Folic Acid in Food Supplements for Pregnant Women According to the European Regulation

Díaz, Luis Alfredo Baratas; Fernández‐Ruiz, Virginia; Morales, Patrícia; Sánchez-Mata, María Cortes; Cámara, Montaña

doi:10.3390/nu13030937

Cited by 8 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Four food supplements, representing 13.3% of food supplements analyzed, contained less than 3% of the declared content of folic acid [ 18 ]. In contrast the analysis of folic acid content in the food supplements sold in Spain [ 21 ] showed that the determined content was within a tolerated range with regard to the declared values, which were in accordance with EU regulation requirements. Noncompliances of the declared and determined contents were also found in a study of vitamins A, C and E in 57 food supplements available on the Brazilian market [ 19 ].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 54%

“…Health claims were also evaluated for regulatory compliance in a study of folic acid food supplements sold in Spain [ 21 ]. The results revealed that the food supplements sold in supermarkets fulfilled the requirements for folic acid health claims, while over 14% of food supplements sold online did not fulfill the requirements for folic acid health claims as they contained nonauthorized health claims.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Resveratrol Food Supplement Products and the Challenges of Accurate Label Information to Ensure Food Safety for Consumers

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The food supplement market is growing as many consumers wish to complement their nutrient intake. Despite all the regulations in place to ensure food supplements safety, there are still many cases of irregularities reported especially connected to internet sales. Twenty resveratrol food supplement products sold on the Slovenian market were evaluated on their compliance of declared vs. determined resveratrol content, as well as the compliance of labels with the European Union (EU) and Slovenian regulatory requirements. Both the ingredient contents and food information are important parts of food safety. Analyses of 20 food supplements performed using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) coupled with densitometry showed that 95% of products had contents different from what was declared and 55% of products contained higher contents than declared. In 25% of the products the determined content per unit exceeded the maximum level (150 mg/day) specified in EU novel food conditions for food supplement with trans-resveratrol. Evaluation of the 20 food supplement labels included mandatory and voluntary food information, food supplement information, novel food information, health claims and nutrition claims. Most labels contained the necessary information, but multiple errors were observed ranging from typos to misleading practices. From a food safety perspective, there is still a lot of improvement needed in the field of food supplements.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resveratrol Food Supplement Products and the Challenges of Accurate Label Information to Ensure Food Safety for Consumers

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…If this is not the case, this could also be regarded as a public health concern and not just a quality issue. Domínguez et al [49] also very recently investigated quality of food supplements containing folate. They focused on products targeting pregnant women on the Spanish marketplace.…”

Section: Food Supplements For Supplementation With Folate In Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 99%

An Approach to Investigate Content-Related Quality of Nutraceuticals Used by Slovenian Consumers: A Case Study with Folate and Vitamin D Supplements

Žmitek

Krušič

Pravst

2021

Foods

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A predisposition for the efficiency of nutraceuticals is that the product contains a sufficient quantity of a vitamin. Several studies have highlighted different quality issues. Our objective was to investigate whether the contents of the vitamins in selected types of food supplements were in accordance with labeling. We focused on two types of food supplements where content-related quality issues could result in public health risks: food supplements for supplementation with (a) folic acid (as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF)) in pregnancy and (b) with vitamin D in the general population. The study was done on supplements from the global supply that are typically used by Slovenian consumers. We sampled one production batch of 30 different food supplements—six and 24 samples with 5-MTHF and cholecalciferol, respectively. We found samples with vitamin contents outside the 80–150% tolerance interval in both sets. Particularly, 5-MTHF was found to be more problematic, probably due to its lower stability. This study shows the need for better quality control. Quality control is needed during both the manufacturing process and product shelf lifetimes. Content quality should be also subject to external controls by authorities. Voluntarily quality control schemes would also enable consumers to identify products of sufficient quality.

show abstract

“…In addition, folic acid contributes to homocysteine metabolism, the growth of maternal tissues during pregnancy, and to hematopoiesis. Together, iron and folic acid are also involved in cell division and contribute to the proper performance of the immune system and a reduction in tiredness and fatigue [ 39 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orodispersible Film Based on Maltodextrin: A Convenient and Suitable Method for Iron Supplementation

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Orodispersible film (ODF) is an innovative dosage form used to administer drugs and nutrients, designed to disintegrate or dissolve in the oral cavity without needing water. One of the advantages of ODF is that it is suitable for administration in older people and children who have difficulty swallowing because of psychological or physiological deficiencies. This article describes the development of an ODF based on maltodextrin, which is easy to administer, has a pleasant taste, and is suitable for iron supplementation. An ODF containing 30 mg of iron as pyrophosphate and 400 µg of folic acid (iron ODF) was developed and manufactured on an industrial scale. The kinetic profile for serum iron and folic acid upon consumption of ODF compared with a Sucrosomial® iron capsule (known for its high bioavailability) was evaluated in a crossover clinical trial. The study was conducted in nine healthy women, and the serum iron profile (AUC0–8, Tmax, and Cmax) of both formulations was defined. Results showed that the rate and extent of elemental iron absorption with iron ODF was comparable to that obtained using the Sucrosomial® iron capsule. These data represent the first evidence of iron and folic acid absorption concerning the newly developed ODF. Iron ODF was proven to be a suitable product for oral iron supplementation.

show abstract

Assessment of Health Claims Related to Folic Acid in Food Supplements for Pregnant Women According to the European Regulation

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

Resveratrol Food Supplement Products and the Challenges of Accurate Label Information to Ensure Food Safety for Consumers

Resveratrol Food Supplement Products and the Challenges of Accurate Label Information to Ensure Food Safety for Consumers

An Approach to Investigate Content-Related Quality of Nutraceuticals Used by Slovenian Consumers: A Case Study with Folate and Vitamin D Supplements

Orodispersible Film Based on Maltodextrin: A Convenient and Suitable Method for Iron Supplementation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About