Hello, I'm Monica Reinagal, and you're listening to the Nutrition Diva

podcast, a show where we take a closer look at nutrition news, research, and trends so that you can make more

informed decisions about what you eat. Earlier this year, yogurt companies got a gift from the United States Food and Drug Administration, the FDA,

in the form of permission to make a new health claim about their products.

They're now allowed to say that regular consumption of

yogurt may reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Today I want to take a

closer look at the science behind this new claim as well as at the process that companies go through to get these sort of claims approved.

There are really pretty strict rules about what kinds of health-related statements

manufacturers are allowed to make about food products. You are allowed to talk about the nutrients it contains.

For example, you can say that a product is high in fiber,

but only if it contains at least 20% of the recommended daily allowance for fiber.

You're also allowed to describe the role

that a given nutrient or ingredient plays in the body.

This is called a structure function claim. So you can say,

Fiber promotes healthy bowel function, as long as that statement is supported

by credible scientific evidence.

You can't say,

Fiber promotes healthy joints,

because there isn't yet enough credible evidence

to support that statement.

You also generally cannot make a statement that implies that a food prevents or treats a specific disease or condition.

Imagine for a moment that there actually was enough credible evidence to support the claim

...