Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to stearic acid and maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations (ID 716, 1657) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to provide a scientific opinion on a list of health claims pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. This opinion addresses the scientific substantiation of health claims in relation to stearic acid and the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations. The scientific substantiation is based on the information provided by the Member States in the consolidated list of Article 13 health claims and references that EFSA has received from Member States or directly from stakeholders. The food constituent that is the subject of the health claim is stearic acid. The Panel considers that stearic acid is sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect is lipid metabolism. The target population is assumed to be the general population. In the context of the proposed wording, the Panel assumes that the claimed effect refers to maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations. The Panel considers that maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations is a beneficial physiological effect. In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that stearic acid differs from other long-chain saturated fatty acids in its effects on blood cholesterol but the scientific evidence does not demonstrate that intake of stearic acid would decrease total and/or LDL-cholesterol with respect to monounsaturated fatty acids or carbohydrates, which are considered neutral compared to their effects on LDL-cholesterol concentrations, or that the addition of stearic acid per se to the diet would decrease LDL-cholesterol concentrations in humans. The Panel also notes that stearic acid is not consumed alone, and that foods rich in stearic acid do also contain considerable amounts of palmitic and other SFA with 12 to 16 atom carbons, which are known to increase LDL-cholesterol concentrations. On the basis of the data presented, the Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of stearic acid and maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations.