IADSA suggests framework for bioactives recommended intake

The recommended intake for bioactive food components should be based on the totality of the evidence, the latest scientific publication from the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) has stated.

Titled Bioactive Food Components: Changing the Scientific Basis for Intake Recommendations, the publication proposes a new framework for recommended intake, enabling the incorporation of aspects of basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, including the evidence-based medicine approach of randomized controlled trials (RCT), but allowing for decision-making based not primarily on RCT but on the totality of the evidence.

The report, which is available from the IADSA website, suggests the need for human intervention studies of a smaller scale than those used to evaluate drug efficacy and safety, arguing that RCT used to establish the safety and effi cacy of drugs is, alone, not an appropriate method for establishing recommended intakes for nutrients and other bioactive substances. It also suggests post-marketing surveillance for potential adverse events. “Unlike drugs, bioactive substances pose minimal risks when consumed in the nutritional range, and provide evidence for efficacy from a totality of evidence beyond the prospective randomized controlled trials (RCT),” said Dr Andrew Shao from the IADSA Scientific Group.