Certain nutrients are essential for basic bodily functions, and a wide range of health claims have been authorised by the EU in this area. They include:
| Health claim ‘contributes to normal…’ | VitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... | Mineral | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macronutrient metabolism | Biotin | Chromium, Zinc | |
| *Homocysteine metabolism | Folate, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B12, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B6 | Betaine, Choline | |
| Energy-yielding metabolism | Pantothenic acid, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B1, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B2, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B6, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... C | Calcium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus | |
| LipidA fat or fat-like molecule. metabolism | Choline | ||
| Sulphur amino acidAn organic compound containing both an amino group (-NH2) an... metabolism | Molybdenum | ||
| Synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... D and some neurotransmitters | Pantothenic acid | ||
| Metabolism of iron | VitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... A, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B2, vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... C | ||
| Protein and glycogen metabolism | VitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B6 | ||
| Acid-base metabolism | Zinc | ||
| CarbohydrateCompounds that contain the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxy... metabolism | Zinc | ||
| Fatty acidMolecule made up of unbranched hydrocarbon chains having abo... metabolism | Zinc | ||
| VitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... A metabolism | Zinc |
*The homocysteine metabolism claims are of special interest as this involves the metabolism of homocysteine, seen as a marker for chronic illnesses such as heart disease, to methionine, a beneficial amino-acid. VitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B12 is necessary for this metabolism but is only present in animal products such as meat and milk, and is missing from strict vegetarian or vegan diets. This should be corrected by supplementation or foods fortified with vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... B12.
VitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... C enhances iron absorption by the body, and this is again important for vegetarians as plant iron is less absorbable than haem iron, which comes in the main from meat. Thus a vegetarian diet should include vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in t... C rich foods.
The claims may be made for a single nutrientA substance that is essential for life which is obtained fro... or several nutrients.
The EU Health Claims Register is dynamic in nature and should be checked for updates.