《SCIENTIFIC OPINION》.pdfVIP

EFSA Journal 2009; 7 9 : 1228 SCIENTIFIC OPINION Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to vitamin K and maintenance of bone ID 123, 127, 128, and 2879 , blood coagulation ID 124 and 126 , and function of the heart and blood vessels ID 124, 125 1 and 2880 pursuant to Article 13 1 of Regulation EC No 1924/2006 2 EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies NDA European Food Safety Authority EFSA , Parma, Italy SUMMARY Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to provide a scientific opinion on a list of health claims pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation 1924/2006. This opinion addresses the scientific substantiation of health claims in relation to vitamin K and the following claimed effects: maintenance of normal bone, normal blood coagulation, and normal function of the heart and blood vessels. The scientific substantiation is based on the information provided by the Member States in the consolidated list of Article 13 health claims and references that EFSA has received from Member States or directly from stakeholders. The food constituent that is the subject of the health claims is vitamin K i.e. phylloquinone and menaquinone which is a well recognized nutrient and is measurable in foods by established methods. The Panel considers that vitamin K is sufficiently characterised. The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has been established between the dietary intake of vitamin K and the maintenance of normal bone and normal blood coagulation. The Panel considers that, in order to bear the claims, a food should be at least a source of vitamin K as per Annex to Regulation 1924/2006. Such amounts can be easily consumed as part of a balanced diet. The target population is the general population. The Panel concludes that th