Dietitians hit out at ‘bogus’ health drinks

CLAIMS made by many health drinks manufacturers about the benefits of their products are false, according to a report by consumer group Which?

Experts from the group studied claims made by 12 drinks and found those made by many – including leading probiotic brands Actimel and Yakult – did not stack up.

Which? said the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) had rejected claims linking probiotics to digestive health, gut function, and intestinal flora.

Dietitian Shefalee Loth of Which? said: “Generally I’d take the claims with a pinch of salt because out of the ones that we looked at actually very few were backed up by proper science.”

Vitamin Water, a Coca-Cola brand, also failed to live up to claims of its nutritional value. This year the Advertising Standards Agency banned a Vitamin Water poster which said “enhanced hydration for the nation – delicious and nutritious” since the “water” contained 23 grams of sugar.

Which? found another health drink, ActivJuice for Joints, claimed amino sugar called glucosamine in the product could “help maintain healthy joints, bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments” – unproven properties of glucosamine, according to the Efsa.

Additionally, claims that taurine and guarana in drinks increase energy were overruled by Efsa.

Energy drinks were also found to have excess sugar.

Weight-loss and appetite control drinks were also criticised for lacking any proven benefits.

In an article for Which? magazine, Ms Loth wrote: “Supermarket shelves and health food shops are bursting with drinks claiming to keep you healthy, support your immune system or help you lose weight. But are these claims really worth the labels they’re written on?”

She said when Efsa assessed claims made by manufacturers many had their claims rejected.

“When scientific evidence is compared with the claim, it often doesn’t stack up – to date, around 80 per cent of submitted claims have been rejected.”

Dietitian Dr Wendy Wrieden from Robert Gordon University told The Scotsman: “Around 65 per cent of Scottish adults are overweight or obese and most people underestimate the contribution of sugar-sweetened and alcoholic drinks to overall energy intake. Many so-called ‘health drinks’ just add to the calories.”

Three health drinks – Benecol, Flora ProActiv and Sirco – did meet their health claims, according to Which?.

Cholesterol-lowering drinks Benecol and ProActiv earned accreditation from Efsa. The authority found one Benecol or Flora ProActiv drink contained enough of the cholesterol-lowering substances stanol esters and plant sterols to have an impact. However there was no benefit for people who do not have high cholesterol.

Which? also found Sirco fruit juices, which contain a tomato concentrate extract, had its claim approved by the Efsa. The manufacturers claim that the extract helps in the process of blood clotting in adults aged 35 to 70 years. Eating tomatoes and drinking tomato juice did not provide the same benefit.

A Coca-Cola GB spokesperson said: “We have always been completely transparent that the drinks contain 23g of sugar in each 500ml bottle.

“We do not believe that this detracts from the vitamin and mineral content of the drinks, which are classified under EU regulations as low calorie.”

Actimel and Yakult were unavailable to comment.