| Scientist - News - 26-05-2008: Food and pharma: much at stake Beintema, Nienke The nutrition industry needs to employ sound science to support its health claims, says prof. Johan Garssen, Head of Immunopharmacology at the University of Utrecht. He will present his inaugural lecture on the 11th of June. An international symposium will he held on this occasion: ‘Immunity on the cutting edge between food and pharma’. "Many of the health claims associated with food products are insufficiently substantiated," states Garssen. "At the same time these products are becoming increasingly popular among health professionals as well as the general public. That is an undesirable development." Garssen is convinced that many food products do have important health benefits, but notes that there is also "a lot of rubbish on the market." He therefore strongly advocates stricter scientific protocols to validate health claims, and to allow people to recognise quality. "In the case of consumer products in supermarkets it is not really that crucial," he specifies, "because these are used by a generally healthy population and mostly focus on prevention. But it is different in cases where nutrition is used as a component in the management of diseases. In these cases there are not only potential health benefits, but also potential risks, as we have seen in some clinical trials." To prevent serious adverse effects and substantiate health claims, as he underlines, there is a need for reliable translational research protocols. These should include risk-benefit analyses, a safety record, and careful, double-blinded, independently reviewed tests that start at the molecular level and proceed via in vitro and in vivo experiments to clinical trials. Close link Earlier in human history, as Garssen explains, nutrition and pharmacology were closely linked, as people derived their medicine directly from natural foods. In recent times, however, these two fields have evolved separately. Today, food and pharma are once again becoming interrelated. "Health foods have a tremendous potential," he says. "Still, the effect of food on our well-being has long been underestimated. Today we recognise once more that diseases are multi-factorial, and that nutrition can be a valuable part of the prevention and management of diseases. It can never fully replace pharmacology, but it can definitely complement it. The interface is challenging and exciting." But, as he underlines once more, it is absolutely vital that this growing link is rooted in sound science. "Companies may not like it," he says, "because the research trajectories are often long and costly. Some may prefer to continue with the current approach of attributing health benefits to foods without proper scientific proof. But I strongly oppose that. For that there is too much at stake – and too much potential." Immunity on the Cutting Edge between Food and Pharma «Back |