The FSA's response to the N04 review

The FSA's response to the review of the Antioxidants in Food research programme (N04) review.

The BNF review suggested a refocused programme of work that concentrates on establishing the functional effects and bioavailability of various plant food components. This should include the so-called antioxidant nutrients, but should take a broader view on mechanisms of action than 'oxidative stress'.

The recommendations for understanding the functions of plant food components at the tissue, cellular and molecular level, although important, do not come within the remit for FSA nutrition research – informing dietary recommendations.

The extent of knowledge about the bioavailability of many of the substances of interest is still very limited, and the recommendation to fund work studying the bioavailability of a range of plant derived substances falls within the remit for N05. This should include the effects of food preparation and processing on absorption from the gut.

The remit of the N02 research programme has been expanded to include the effects of plant foods on cardiovascular health. The programme will take a broader view on mechanisms of action. It will focus on foods, but will also compare the effects of foods with plant extracts or supplements on cardiovascular disease risk and aim to establish whether dose response relationships exists.

The N04 programme review also raises issues that should be taken into account when studies are designed in any of the research programmes;

• use vulnerable, high risk groups;
• individual variation;
• use doses within the 'physiological' range;
• determine if dose response effects exist;
• RCT designs with sufficient statistical power;