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It has now been official since the end of July 2011, following a waiting period of more than three years ­– Creatine is effective! The EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, has now also confirmed what has long been clear to the AlzChem Creapure^® team, to creatine experts and to many, many athletes – Creatine increases physical performance, achieving it through brief periods of highly intensive and repeated strain.

These were the words used by the expert body of the EFSA to express the Health Claim for creatine, linking this at the same time to a daily dosage of 3 g of creatine. They regard the target group as being athletes.

 

"This positive opinion in favor of creatine is a great result", says AlzChem director and marketing head Stefan Greger. That is because out of 20 substances that were submitted for a health claim relating to increasing performance only four substances or substance mixtures were confirmed as being effective. These 20 substances included those traditionally used in sport nutrition such as branched amino acids (BCAAs), beta-alanine, carnosine, arginine, carnitine, taurine and hydroxymethylbutyrate(HMB). Not one of these classic substances was granted an approved health claim.

 

In July 2007 the EU issued a Directive on statements made on food products concerning their nutritional value and health benefits. This Directive sets out to ensure that the information about the links between nutrition and health stated on the packaging of food products and in advertising is proven and correct, and therefore able to help consumers in achieving healthy nutrition, and means that since 2007 such information is subject to a European approvals process. This applies to traditional nutrition-related nutrients such as proteins, amino acids, fibers, vitamins and minerals as well as other physiologically active substances which include creatine, carnitine, isoflavones, chondroitin, betaine etc. The European authority responsible employs the services of an expert body in the process. These experts then use the documents submitted to examine the scientific facts to assess whether a claim made for the effectiveness of a substance is sufficiently proven. The assessment is based on scientific studies and recommendations from bodies of experts, associations and societies – groups which normally reflect the consensus view on particular nutritional recommendations.

The benchmark for proof is very demanding, as the highest quality of scientific and underlying data is required.

 

 

So in future only a few ingredients of sports nutrition products may be marketed as effective in the EU – and AlzChem’s Creapure® is one of these.

 

 

The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) was established in 2002 following a number of food products scandals in the late 90s, and aims to improve food safety and to contribute towards a high level of consumer protection. As the risk assessor, EFSA produces scientific opinions and advice to provide a sound foundation for European policies and legislation and to support the European Commission, European Parliament and EU Member States in taking effective and timely risk management decisions. It performs its duties completely independently, and is committed to providing an objective assessment of existing and occurring risks.

The remit of the EFSA covers food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health and animal welfare, as well as plant protection and plant health. Source: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/aboutefsa.htm)

 

 

The EFSA regards these claims as not sufficiently scientifically proven, and has issued a negative opinion on them. As a result claims of this nature made on product packaging or in advertising will no longer be permitted in future.

Since 2007, after Directive (EC) 1924/2006 on nutritional and health related claims for food products came into effect, such claims and similar have been subject to examination. More than 44,000

 

proposals were submitted by the member states to the EFSA as part of a so-called general process. The EFSA then trimmed these down to 4,637 before undertaking its detailed work. The proposals submitted make reference to the importance and effects of a nutritional substance or another substance for growth, development and bodily functions, and to psychological functions, to slimming properties, weight control, increasing a sated feeling, or reduced energy uptake through consuming a foodstuff.

The expert body issued a total of 341 assessments of the health-related claims that were submitted. The last statements of opinion were only published at the end of July 2011, including those relating to creatine; more than one and a half years after the date originally planned. However, this process will only be completed once the European Commission has approved the proposals and recommendations of the EFSA, and published a list of the claims allowed. Unlike current practice, the only claims that will be permitted to appear on food products and in advertising will be those covered by this list.

While this general process was ongoing it was also possible, and will remain so in future, to apply for a health claim regarding new functions of nutritional ingredients and nutritional/physiological substances. Companies, interest groups etc. apply for approval on a separate case-by-case basis. Every application, and the underlying scientific data, will be thoroughly examined by the expert body and assessed in a statement of opinion. The processing time for each application takes between 6 and 12 months. If a positive assessment is issued, the relevant details will be added to the Health Claim List.