Fabenol® Max and ‘reduces the absorption of carbohydrates’

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EFSA Panel on EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA)

Following an application from Ecopharma BVBA, submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Belgium, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Fabenol^® Max and ‘reduces the absorption of carbohydrates’. The Panel considers that Fabenol^® Max, which is an aqueous extract from Phaseolus vulgaris L. standardised by its content of α-amylase inhibitor, is sufficiently characterised. According to the applicant, consumption of the food ‘offers potential benefits in the maintenance of healthy blood sugar levels’. The meaning of ‘healthy blood sugar levels’ was not specified. The target population proposed by the applicant is ‘the general population that wants to manage their carbohydrate intake (for the maintenance of healthy blood sugar levels or optimal body composition)’. The Panel notes that the claimed effect was not sufficiently defined and that the applicant did not provide any further information. The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship cannot be established between the consumption of Fabenol^® Max and a beneficial physiological effect.