All the requests for authorisation to bear health claims under Articles 13(5) and 14 in the context of appetite ratings and weight management have received a negative opinion by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), mainly because of the insufficient substantiation of the claimed effects (CEs). This manuscript results from an investigation aimed to collect, collate and critically analyse the information related to outcome variables (OVs) and methods of measurement (MMs) in the context of appetite ratings and weight management compliant with Regulation 1924/2006. Based on the literature review, the appropriateness of OVs and MMs was evaluated for specific CEs. This work might help EFSA in the development of updated guidance addressed to stakeholders interested in bearing health claims in the area of weight management. Moreover, it could drive the applicants during the design of randomised controlled trials aimed to substantiate such claims.
Keywords: Health claim; appetite; body composition; body weight; method of measurement; outcome variable.