Risk assessment of “other substances” - L-cysteine and L-cystine. Opinion of the Panel on Nutrition, Dietetic Products, Novel Food and Allergy of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety
Strand, Tor A; Frøyland, Livar; Haugen, Margaretha; Holvik, Kristin; Løvik, Martinus; Tell, Grethe S.; Vaktskjold, Arild; Iversen, Per Ole
Abstract
The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) has, at the request of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, assessed the risk of specified doses of L-cysteine and L-cystine in food supplements. VKM concludes that:
• In adolescents (14 to <18 years) and adults (≥18 years), the specified doses 10 mg/day L-cysteine and 250, 500 and 750 mg/day L-cystine in food supplements are considered to be unlikely to cause adverse health effects, whereas the dose 1000 mg L-cystine per day may represent a risk of adverse health effects.
• In children (10 to <14 years), the specified doses 10 mg/day L-cysteine and 250 and 500 mg/day L-cystine in food supplements are considered to be unlikely to cause adverse health effects, whereas the doses 750 and 1000 mg L-cystine per day may represent a risk of adverse health effects.