Colas
aren’t really known for their health benefits as they are usually
packed with sugar and have been fuelling the global epidemic of
childhood obesity.
TOKYO: It's being called the world's first " healthy cola".
Japan, that boasts of the world's most stringent food regulatory laws,
has approved the world's first cola for being "beneficial to health".
The country's food regulatory authority has cleared 'Kirin Mets Cola' for the most sought after Foods for Specified Health Users (FOSHU) label. Japan's Health and Nutrition Food Association (JHNFA) says getting a highly sought after FOSHU certification - that can sometimes take over six months and cost as much as a million yen -- greatly boosts the credibility of approved products. Colas aren't really known for their health benefits. They are usually packed with sugar and have been fuelling the global epidemic of childhood obesity. However, according to JHNFA, this FOSHU labelled cola has zero amount of sugar and contains an indigestible form of Dextrin - a compound used as a fibre supplement, which restricts the body's ability to absorb fat while eating.
"When consumed with a high fat diet like a hamburger, the drink slows down the body's ability to absorb fat thereby saving you from putting on weight. It also helps in digesting the food easily," Akira Yabuki, general manager, department of FOSHU at JHFNA, told TOI.
Yabuki added, "We are very strict with who is given the FOSHU label. However, this was the first time that a cola was given such a FOSHU tag. It did satisfy requirements to be healthy. The drink doesn't contain sweeteners at all and tests have shown that the drink keeps levels of neutral fats low after eating."Experts say the cola's target demographic is youngsters who love cola but are worried about their weight, as well as those who have stopped buying soft drinks for health reasons.It was in 1987 that Japan's ministry of health and family welfare introduced functional foods. The FOSHU system was introduced in 1991 and the first FOSHU approval was given in 1993. It is an individually evaluated approval system that takes into account scientific evidence on effectiveness, safety and quality.
As of December 19, 2011, 983 products have been certified as FOSHU. Of these, 24% are soft drinks like tea-based beverages, mineral water, jelly or fruit beverages and powdered soft drink, 55% are dairy products like lactic acid bacteria beverages and cultured milk, 12% are processed foods like processed meat and fish, cooking oil, vinegar and sweeteners and 9% are sweets like candies, cookies, chewing gum and dehydrated soups.
"Data from clinical trials on 10 to 100 subjects have to clearly indicate the health benefit of the product. If it contains a new ingredient, testing and approving it for FOSHU can take 2-3 years time.
Some of the nutrient function claims that have cleared the FOSHU test includes Vitamin A which helps maintain good vision at night, iron which is necessary for red blood cell formation, calcium which is necessary for bone and teeth, folic acid which contributes to a normal development of a fetus and Vitamin E which helps protect fat in the body from being oxidized and helps maintain healthy cells," Yabuki said.A recent study said aerated drinks increases the chances of heart disease by 20% among those sipping them daily. Also, people who drink diet sodas every day have a 61% higher risk of bursting a blood vessel. Even children, who consume 40-70 ml of soft drinks a day, may put on 3-5 kilos every year as one cola is equivalent to having seven to eight spoons of sugar at a time.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) along with nine institutes have been conducting a study that covers 10,000 households and involves interviews of nearly 70,000 people of all ages and social status to gauge how much aerated drinks Indians consume daily, monthly and annually, and what is the country's annual production of such drinks.
Several studies conducted by some of the world's top scientists have said colas are bad for health.
The country's food regulatory authority has cleared 'Kirin Mets Cola' for the most sought after Foods for Specified Health Users (FOSHU) label. Japan's Health and Nutrition Food Association (JHNFA) says getting a highly sought after FOSHU certification - that can sometimes take over six months and cost as much as a million yen -- greatly boosts the credibility of approved products. Colas aren't really known for their health benefits. They are usually packed with sugar and have been fuelling the global epidemic of childhood obesity. However, according to JHNFA, this FOSHU labelled cola has zero amount of sugar and contains an indigestible form of Dextrin - a compound used as a fibre supplement, which restricts the body's ability to absorb fat while eating.
"When consumed with a high fat diet like a hamburger, the drink slows down the body's ability to absorb fat thereby saving you from putting on weight. It also helps in digesting the food easily," Akira Yabuki, general manager, department of FOSHU at JHFNA, told TOI.
Yabuki added, "We are very strict with who is given the FOSHU label. However, this was the first time that a cola was given such a FOSHU tag. It did satisfy requirements to be healthy. The drink doesn't contain sweeteners at all and tests have shown that the drink keeps levels of neutral fats low after eating."Experts say the cola's target demographic is youngsters who love cola but are worried about their weight, as well as those who have stopped buying soft drinks for health reasons.It was in 1987 that Japan's ministry of health and family welfare introduced functional foods. The FOSHU system was introduced in 1991 and the first FOSHU approval was given in 1993. It is an individually evaluated approval system that takes into account scientific evidence on effectiveness, safety and quality.
As of December 19, 2011, 983 products have been certified as FOSHU. Of these, 24% are soft drinks like tea-based beverages, mineral water, jelly or fruit beverages and powdered soft drink, 55% are dairy products like lactic acid bacteria beverages and cultured milk, 12% are processed foods like processed meat and fish, cooking oil, vinegar and sweeteners and 9% are sweets like candies, cookies, chewing gum and dehydrated soups.
"Data from clinical trials on 10 to 100 subjects have to clearly indicate the health benefit of the product. If it contains a new ingredient, testing and approving it for FOSHU can take 2-3 years time.
Some of the nutrient function claims that have cleared the FOSHU test includes Vitamin A which helps maintain good vision at night, iron which is necessary for red blood cell formation, calcium which is necessary for bone and teeth, folic acid which contributes to a normal development of a fetus and Vitamin E which helps protect fat in the body from being oxidized and helps maintain healthy cells," Yabuki said.A recent study said aerated drinks increases the chances of heart disease by 20% among those sipping them daily. Also, people who drink diet sodas every day have a 61% higher risk of bursting a blood vessel. Even children, who consume 40-70 ml of soft drinks a day, may put on 3-5 kilos every year as one cola is equivalent to having seven to eight spoons of sugar at a time.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) along with nine institutes have been conducting a study that covers 10,000 households and involves interviews of nearly 70,000 people of all ages and social status to gauge how much aerated drinks Indians consume daily, monthly and annually, and what is the country's annual production of such drinks.
Several studies conducted by some of the world's top scientists have said colas are bad for health.
No comments:
Post a Comment