These tasks require a scientific body to function as free from political maneuvering as humanly possible, knowing full well the difficulty of achieving such a goal.

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But the Food and Drug Administration does not prospectively review food claims because American law says that foods are allowed to affect the "structure and function" of the body, so long as they do not actually claim to treat disease.

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It isn't clear what role these receptors play in the body, but scientists suggest they might have a protective function, as they do in the mouth.

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