`` Effective against new coronavirus infections '' Food tricks
On March 9th, the Consumer Affairs Agency issued an order to take action against a company that sold health foods that claimed to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus infection, citing violations of the Premiums and Representations Act. This is the first order to take measures related to the new corona.
A leaflet that Macro Future bundled with the product. Words such as "STOP! CORONA" and "Immunity boost" line up (provided by the Consumer Affairs Agency)Not limited to this health food, phrases such as "This supplement boosts your immunity" and "That food prevents you" can be found in news articles and book advertisements. I thought it was a little reduced, but it might be that it's starting to stand out again while the vaccine is not progressing and the anxiety of the mutation stocks is spreading. First of all, if you "check the answer", there is no food or supplement that can be said to be "effective" against the new coronavirus with scientific basis and evidence.
Even though we should know that, why are we attracted to it? I will explain the tricks of "effective" information and the information sources that you should really refer to.
(1) Consumer Affairs Agency's order to take action
On March 9, the Consumer Affairs Agency issued an order to take action against Macro Future based on the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations.
The company sells two products, "Macro Genki" and "Macro Genki Lactic Acid Bacteria 125 Billion Plus", on its website, Rakuten Ichiba, Yahoo! Shopping, etc. "LPS activates macrophages and enhances immunity," etc. LPS is the lipopolysaccharide in the product. At this stage, we do not use the words "new corona" or "infectious disease". However, when I sent the product to the buyer, I mentioned the new corona in the enclosed leaflet, saying, "Immunity" and "preventing epidemics" against infectious diseases! It was described.
The Consumer Affairs Agency determined that the materials submitted by the company to support the labeling were in violation of the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, and issued an order to take action.
The Consumer Affairs Agency has requested improvements in the labeling of ``products that claim to be effective in preventing the novel coronavirus,'' and has issued a total of four warnings to citizens since March 2020. doing. The nature of the new coronavirus is not clear, and human testing using the virus is naturally impossible. It explains that there is a thin basis for any product, such as health food, general food, disinfectant water, and air purifier, and there is a risk of violating the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations and the Health Promotion Act.
(2) If it is effective against influenza, it cannot be said that the new coronavirus is also effective
The National Institute of Health and Nutrition also said, I can't find any material information."
The troublesome thing is that if it works for preventing flu and colds caused by similar viruses, it may work for the new coronavirus. and news articles. However, the new coronavirus and the virus that causes the flu and colds are different things. There is no guarantee that similar foods will work.
In the first place, the preventive effect of foods and ingredients against influenza and colds is not clear. The National Institute of Health and Nutrition collects and examines a large number of papers, etc., and summarizes them in a table.
Source: National Institute of Health and Nutrition [New Corona | List] Foods and ingredients that have been talked about as good for preventing infection (currently being updated). Even lactobacillus is not clear. There are both papers that vitamin D is effective and papers that are not effective. There are no reports of natto, miso, or soybeans.The results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in humans are recognized as "papers" in this table. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group was given food or beverages containing the ingredients for which the effect was to be confirmed. We will ask them to eat a “placebo” food or drink that does not stick to them in the same way, and compare the effects. If the effect is large in the group containing the ingredients, and if there is a statistically significant difference from the placebo group, it can be judged that there is an effect.
(3) There are levels of test reliability
There are various types of tests as shown in the figure, but if there is an effect in an animal test or in vitro cell test, However, the effect on humans is unknown. ``Cross-sectional study'' that investigates the diet of tens of thousands of people and sees the relationship with diseases such as those who eat a lot of this food have a low rate of hypertension, those who eat a lot of that food 10 years later There is also a lot of talk about “prospective cohort studies,” which look at outcomes after a certain period of time, such as a lower prevalence of diabetes. However, it is not possible to ascertain the existence of a causal relationship. By conducting RCT, we can see the causal relationship that "this effect is due to this food ingredient".
Created with reference to "Minds Medical Treatment Guidelines Creation Manual 2017". Articles must have been published in academic journals after being "peer-reviewed" by a third party. Academic presentations and press conferences are not reviewed and are not considered evidence. Enlarge photoIn addition, the quality of RCTs varies. For example, the results of conducting RCTs with more than 10 subjects are unreliable. High-quality RCTs, many RCTs conducted by different researchers, and RCTs without conflicts of interest by companies (trials in which companies are not involved in which profits can be obtained if they are effective) are systematically analyzed together. If the results of reviews and meta-analyses show that it is effective, it should be highly reliable and respected, and will be reflected in national dietary guidelines.
The nutrients listed in the "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese" (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) have undergone numerous RCTs, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses have also been conducted. The minimum requirement for foods for specified health uses and foods with function claims is that RCTs have been conducted. However, looking at the quality of RCTs, there are many products that must be said to be low.
Unfortunately, there are very few high-quality RCTs in research on influenza and colds, and the reality is that we cannot yet judge whether this food is effective.
(4) Is there a complicity between universities, companies, and the media?
Nevertheless, there is still hope for food to prevent the new coronavirus. And there is information to support it. Let me give you an example. This is the end of "Kakishibu".
The method of confirming the inactivation announced by Nara Medical University is to mix the virus liquid and human saliva after licking persimmon juice in a test tube, and after contacting it for 10 minutes, the virus is infected. I have checked the status. We have not confirmed how much persimmon tannin remains in the mouth or throat after licking it, and for how long. We don't know how likely it is that the virus that enters through the mouth or nose will come into contact with the remaining persimmon tannin.
In the previous evidence judgment diagram, it corresponds to a test using cells in a test tube. Based on this, I think it is too unreasonable to say that ``Kakishibu is effective against the new coronavirus.''
The Consumer Affairs Agency, of course, should have added it to the cases of possible violations of the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations and the Health Promotion Act, based on the announcement by Nara Medical University.
However, ignoring the quality of the evidence, the university announced it, the media reported it, the company developed it, and the university announced it as the "result of joint research." This trick can appear and disappear in various food information such as lactic acid bacteria and green tea as well as persimmon juice. It seems to me that the three are in complicity. In the first place, I think that universities should not make research presentations of this level.
(5) There is a problem with unfounded food intake
If you have read this far, you may be thinking this in your heart.
I would like to prevent the new corona and influenza by eating and taking supplements even if there is a little possibility. Even if there is no evidence at this time, there will be more research to come. If you lose your life with the new corona or influenza before that, there will be no origin or child. Therefore, I want to take it even if the research has not progressed yet. In the first place, what's wrong with eating a lot of yogurt and natto? "Kakishibu is included in astringent persimmons, so there's no problem, right?"
First, there is the problem of overdose. Because we take it every day because it is good for our health, it tends to be excessive and harmful. Also, you may take ingredients other than the target ingredients without knowing it.
What if you licked a candy containing persimmon tannin because you wanted to prevent the new coronavirus? The amount of sugar intake will increase, and the impact on your teeth will be significantly greater, not to mention the impact on blood sugar levels. It's not just cavities. Recently, it has become well known that the deterioration of dental caries in the elderly poses a major risk to health management. It would be nice if persimmon tannin had an effect that outweighed such risks, but we cannot simply recommend it while it is still unknown.
Yogurt and natto are foods that you want to actively incorporate into a well-balanced diet, but if you eat a lot of them, you also need to think about which foods will decrease. The human stomach does not grow suddenly. Whenever you try to eat something positively, you're consuming less of it. If you eat natto at every meal and you eat less meat, the problem may be that natto does not contain vitamin A (retinol) or vitamin D. If you stop drinking milk instead of actively drinking green tea, you're not getting enough calcium.
Interactions with medicines cannot be underestimated. It is well known that the effectiveness of the antithrombotic drug warfarin decreases when you consume a lot of vitamin K or foods containing it (natto, broccoli, chlorella, etc.). In addition, there are many other drugs that require attention for interactions with food. Knowing all that, are we taking our medicine?
Another serious problem of actively taking ineffective foods, health foods, and supplements is the impact on the wallet. In particular, health foods and supplements are generally expensive.
(6) What you should look at first is HFNet
So, when you come across information about the effects of food and are concerned about it?
It is best to check with the database "Safety and efficacy information of" health foods "(HFNet)" which the aforementioned National Institute of Health and Nutrition collects and disseminates information.
HFNet's top pageInformation on the efficacy and safety of various foods, health foods, and supplements is explained based on literature.
Efficacy is not accepted as evidence unless it is RCT or better, and is described after scrutinizing the contents. We respect the results of those that have systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and we are conducting simple systematic reviews one by one for foods and supplements that do not.
Operation manager, Tsuyoshi Chiba, Director of the Food Health Function Research Department, National Institute of Health and Nutrition (Masks were removed only when taking pictures) 10 assistants. Each staff member is an expert in pharmacology, nursing, nutrition, etc., and does not receive research support from companies. The assistants also have qualifications such as administrative dietitians, and work with an emphasis on evidence.Director Chiba says, "I always listen to the opinions of experts and write responsibly." The result is "There is no information on foods and materials that have been confirmed to be effective in preventing new coronavirus infections," which is a table related to influenza and cold prevention. Don't miss out on this resource.
In the past, there was a lot of information for professionals such as pharmacists, doctors, and registered dietitians, but in recent years there has been an increase in columns for the general public. It requires a high level of ability to collect and read a large number of papers and make judgments, as well as the skill to explain things in an easy-to-understand manner to the general public. Therefore, the operation of this database requires a considerable cost, and it is operated with the operating expenses of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Consumer Affairs Agency.
As introduced at the beginning, the Consumer Affairs Agency is cracking down on displays and advertisements that violate the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations and the Health Promotion Act. In order to enforce laws based on scientific evidence, it is necessary not only for the Consumer Affairs Agency but also for strict verification by experts, that is, second opinions. Its operating costs are used not only to detect violations, but also to provide information to the general public in the website's database in this way.
From 2004, when the database was first opened to the public, until recent years, even as an outsider, I heard that it was struggling to operate due to protests from business operators. It seems that there was also a time when the lawsuit was threatened. However, I stuck to the stance of writing scientifically based on evidence. Recently, business operators seem to have come to understand the level of evidence for (3), and Director Chiba said, ``In health foods and supplements, mainly major products, labeling and quality have improved significantly.'' To do.
On the other hand, there are still many products with problems, and the Consumer Affairs Agency is requesting improvements in preventing the new coronavirus. Looking at the labeling examples of possible violations, foods such as vitamins, zinc, herbs, honey, green juice, various teas, natto, mushrooms, and hydrogen water, as well as familiar foods such as immunity and antioxidant power There are a lot of unscientific catchphrases with unclear definitions that can be said.
HFNet also continuously publishes and updates information for the general public, such as the relationship between infectious disease prevention and probiotics (lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, etc.), and the health benefits of green juice, as well as information related to the new coronavirus. doing.
Would you like to stop being misled by news and advertisements? Director Chiba says, "The most effective way to prevent infectious diseases is to maintain a good nutritional status with a well-balanced diet." "We would like to improve the format and text of the database so that it is easier for consumers to understand and search. We will provide information that meets their needs, such as topical foods and diet methods." When in doubt, check out HFNet.
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