Promises on a packet: do they deliver?
Food products that claim to boost or support the immune system are booming, from coffee and tea to cereals and snack bars. It’s no surprise, really. At a time of heightened concerns about infection and illness, we all want to reduce the risk of getting sick. But can specific foods help us do this? And are these products actually good for us? Food companies certainly want us to think so.
The words used on packaging and websites suggest products confer health benefits, although exactly what those are is usually unclear. One mushroominfused coffee, for example, claims to ‘boost health and immunity’, while a well-known breakfast cereal simply carries the words ‘immune support’ in large lettering on the box. There’s even a popular brand of tea bags called Plus Immunity.
Sometimes packaging or websites indirectly suggest the product confers a benefit. For example, a manufacturer of snack bars fortified with vitamin D asks on its website: Can vitamin D reduce the risk of Covid-19? Underneath is a link to a Queen Mary University of London study investigating whether taking high doses of vitamin D can protect against Covid-19. (Note: the study is ongoing and the results won’t be known until the summer.)