Posted on 05/30/2009 5:18:33 AM PDT by FromLori
Based on the long-time claim by General Mills that its Cheerios cereal can lower cholesterol by 4 percent in just six weeks — when part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, of course — the Food and Drug Administration has admonished the giant breakfast cereal producer and said those claims mean the little round “o’s” of oats are to be considered a drug.
Simply by indicating the cereal is intended for use as a cholesterol-lowering product, it now falls under the FDA regulations regarding drugs, and because it’s a “new” drug by definition — never mind that the cholesterol ad has been around for about 2 years — it must be approved via a drug application before General Mills can continue making the claim, the FDA told the company in a letter May 5.
Now, it seems Cheerios can indeed be marketed as a healthy choice in the fight against heart disease because the FDA already has regulations authorizing the claim by products with soluable fiber from whole grain oats.
The FDA goes on to attack Cheerios’ box labeling and associated claims of healty diet and the reduction of cholesterol on the company website. The bottom line: Cheerios can’t say it reduces cholesterol without having gone through specific FDA-approved testing to back it up.
Make the claim and the FDA will regulate the cereal just like a drug.
So who got the FDA all up in arms about the cereal box labeling? The National Consumers League back in September flagged the feds to Cheerios’ “drug-like claims, calling the ads “magic bullet health claims” that are impermissible under the law and “properly reserved to cholesterol-lowering medications.”
For its bit, General Mills issued a statement saying “Cheerios’ soluble fiber heart health claim has been FDA-approved for 12 years. …The science is not in question…and the clinical study supporting Cheerios’ cholesterol-lowering benefit is very strong. We are in dialog with the FDA.”
The agency gave the Minneapolis-based company 15 days to come up with a decision on what to do.
They either can...or cannot...lower cholesterol.That must be determined by medical researchers.If medical researchers determine they do lower it the manufacturer should be able to make the claim.If not,they shouldn’t.Oats are *not* a “drug”.
No I did a title search and it came up empty sorry
Sunlight initiates Vitamin D production in the skin. Therefore, sunlight is a drug. Therefore, the FDA should regulate it.
Sooooo....now General Mills is learning the penalty of not “donating” to the ‘Bama re-election fund?...
And I suppose that the FDA also considers milk a drug if someone states that milk helps build strong bones.
The New Low-Cholesterol Diet: Nuts
Nuts aren’t just for holidays anymore.
Key nuts can help you lower cholesterol. Add nuts to your low-cholesterol diet.
By R. Morgan Griffin
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
Nuts get a bad rap. A lot of people still see them as salty, fatty, and high calorie — a junk food deserving exile to the carts of vendors or the snack bowls of dingy, smoky bars.
But nutritionists say that certain nuts deserve an honored spot in the kitchen of every healthy eater (as long as you’re not allergic, of course.) Nuts have lots of protein, fiber, healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. And many studies have shown that nuts have powerful cholesterol-lowering effects.
The benefits were clear enough for the FDA in 2003 to issue a “qualified health claim” for peanuts and certain tree nuts — almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. The claim allows some nuts and foods made with them to carry this claim: “Eating a diet that includes one ounce of nuts daily can reduce your risk of heart disease.”
So it’s time to dust off your nutcrackers or pull the lid off a can of nuts. Taken in moderation, these nuts are good for you.......snipped
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/features/nuts-help-lower-bad-cholesterol
> Therefore, sunlight is a drug. Therefore, the FDA should regulate it.
don’t believe for a second that things exactly like that aren’t coming.
Think carbon dioxide.
I’m concerned about the claims by the makers of Lucky Charms that it is “magically delicious”. I’ve found that its neither magical nor delicious. The National Consumer League and FDA should look into that too.
It looks like it should be easy to see who needs to get their budget cut. This entire department needs a realignment to the mission statement.
Cheerios are a drug, but Black Panthers with sticks at the polls are not interfering. Got it!
0bama really ought to put out a Little Red Book we can all follow.
Hmmmm. I don’t think weed lowers cholesterol at all. Does this mean it’s not a drug anymore?
The magic only works on people who like it.
“Cheerios is a drug, the FDA says”
I know people who say they’re addicted to them, so maybe they are
>>Sunlight initiates Vitamin D production in the skin. Therefore, sunlight is a drug. Therefore, the FDA should regulate it.
Sunlight is also a major component to Global Warming/Cooling/Climate Change, so it is regulated by the EPA.
Sunlight also powers solar cells, so its regulated by the DoE.
This could very well be the start of the Civil War Between The Alphabet Agencies!
No, I did not know it was posted before.
What drug is being smoked at the FDA offices? and the Consumers League, too?
Dear FDA: prove that your interference in the market has been “safe and effective”. For example, what of the 70,000 people you have killed by not approving propranolol immediately? Who in your agency have been charged with their deaths?
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