Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to bonito protein peptide and maintenance of normal blood pressure (ID 1716) 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 bonito protein peptide and maintenance of normal blood pressure. 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 claims is bonito protein peptide. The Panel considers that bonito protein peptide (or LKPNM, amino acid sequence Leu-Lys-Pro-Asn-Met) is sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect is “natural blood pressure support”. 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 the maintenance of a normal blood pressure. The Panel considers that maintenance of normal blood pressure is a beneficial physiological effect. In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that no human studies from which conclusions could be drawn for the scientific substantiation of the claim were provided, and that results from the animal and in vitro studies submitted are not sufficient to predict the occurrence of an effect of bonito protein peptide (LKPNM) on blood pressure in humans. On the basis of the data presented, the Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of bonito protein peptide (or LKPNM, amino acid sequence Leu-Lys-Pro-Asn-Met) and the maintenance of normal blood pressure.