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Sharp-eyed grocery shoppers may notice new labels promoting yogurt as a way to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in the dairy aisle. That’s because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently said it’s OK for yogurt producers to make this claim — even though the agency acknowledged it’s based on limited evidence.
Why does the FDA allow yogurt manufacturers to claim that it can reduce the risk of diabetes?
Danone North America, the U.S. arm of the French company that makes several popular yogurt brands, asked the FDA in 2018 for approval of what is known as a “qualified health claim.” The FDA approved Danone in March.
The way the FDA sees it, there is some support — but not significant scientific consensus — that eating at least 2 cups of yogurt per week may reduce the risk of developing the disease that affects about 36 million Americans. .
What is a ‘Qualified Health Claim’?
These are claims that lack full scientific support but are allowed as long as the product label includes a disclaimer to avoid misleading the public.
They have been approved for dietary supplements since 2000 and for foods since 2002, when the FDA faced lawsuits challenging its standard of requiring scientific agreement for product claims. At the time, lawyers successfully argued that such standards violated free speech rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.
Rather than fight the proposed label changes in court, the FDA created a new category separate from authorized health claims, in which products must prove significant scientific consensus among qualified experts that they reduce the risk of a disease or health condition.
Examples of qualified health claims include reports that consuming certain types of cocoa may reduce heart disease and that cranberry juice may reduce the risk of frequent urinary tract infections in women.
What do experts say about yogurt and type 2 diabetes?
Danone presented information from studies that tracked participants over time and found an association between eating yogurt and lower indicators of diabetes. The FDA agreed that there is “some credible evidence” of benefits from eating yogurt as a whole food, but not because of any particular nutrient in it.
In other words, there’s no direct evidence that yogurt can prevent diabetes — only weak evidence that eating yogurt may reduce some biomarkers that are associated with increased risk of the disease.
Critics questioned the approbation of the claim, saying it was not based on gold-standard randomized controlled trials that could prove whether yogurt actually reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest said no single food can reduce disease risk associated with the overall diet. In fact, the label change may increase diabetes risk by promoting consumption of yogurt types that contain added sugars and mix-ins like cookies and pretzels.
Food policy expert, Marion Nestle, said that the qualified health claims are “ridiculous on their face” based on limited evidence.
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