Crackdown on turmeric dietary supplements after new episodes of liver damage. In a circular from the Ministry of Health, Directorate General for Hygiene and Food Safety and Nutrition, a new risk warning is added for these products, for which particular physiological effects previously attributed can no longer be indicated. to the substance.
‘Food supplements containing extracts and preparations of Curcuma longa and spp plants: amendment to attachment 1 of the Ministerial Decree of 10 August 2018’. This is the object of the circular, issued “following the assessments conducted on cases of hepatotoxicity resulting from the intake of food supplements containing extracts and preparations of Curcuma longa, again registered after the previous ones in 2019”. Analyzes after which “it is confirmed, as already concluded in 2019 – reads the document – that the causes are likely to be traced back to reactions of an idiosyncratic nature.
However, the interdisciplinary group of experts specifically set up, in the light of the persistence of cases of hepatotoxicity, considered it necessary to expand the specific warning inserted in 2019 for supplements containing extracts and preparations of ‘Curcuma longa e spp’ to protect consumers. Furthermore, the same group, after an in-depth review of the scientific literature, concluded that there is no scientific evidence to support the physiological effects attributed to Curcuma longa in the ministerial guidelines “.
“For the above – details the circular – the directorial decree of 28 July 2022, prot. 33391 of 1 August 2022 (see www.salute.gov.it), which amends Annex 1 of the Ministerial Decree of 10 August 2018 on the use of herbal substances and preparations in food supplements, already amended by directorial decree 4 August 2021. the aforementioned decree of 28 July 2022 provides for the introduction of the following additional warning for the labeling of supplements containing ingredients derived from Curcuma longa and spp: ‘Important warning. In case of alterations in the liver function, biliary or gallstones of the biliary tract, the use of the product is not recommended. Do not use during pregnancy and lactation. Do not use for prolonged periods without consulting your doctor. If you are taking medications, you should consult your doctor ‘”.
“Furthermore – continues the text – the aforementioned decree eliminates from the ministerial guidelines the physiological effects previously envisaged for Curcuma longa and spp, which, therefore, can no longer be used. Food business operators are required to comply with the label of food supplements containing extracts and preparations of Curcuma longa and spp no later than 31 December 2022 “. VISTA Parliamentary Television Agency