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Dairy Council Digest Archives
Functional Foods: An Overview
Functional Foods
Definitions. There is no accepted international definition of functional foods. The terms functional foods and nutraceuticals are often used interchangeably and are variably defined (1). Functional foods are generally characterized as foods similar in appearance to conventional foods, consumed as part of a usual diet, and providing health-related benefits beyond meeting basic nutritional needs (2,6a,7). A food can be considered naturally "functional" if it contains a food component that affects one or more targeted functions in a beneficial way. For example, dairy foods can be said to be functional because of their content of calcium. Foods can also be made functional by either adding certain functional components (e.g., antioxidants, probiotics) or replacing components with more desirable ones (8). While functional foods are generally presented as "food," nutraceuticals are often considered to be the products produced from foods but sold in other forms (e.g., pills, powders) and demonstrated to have physiological benefits (6a)
Dairy foods can be included in the functional food category because of their content of calcium, specific health-enhancing proteins, conjugated linoleic acid, sphingolipids, butyric acid, and probiotic cultures.
According to a 1998 survey by the International Food Information Council, consumers prefer the term functional foods over nutraceuticals to describe the types of foods and food components believed to convey health benefits (9).
Of interest, Japan is the only country worldwide where a legal definition and regulatory approval process for functional foods exist (2). As of June 1999, 149 products have been licensed in Japan as Foods for Specified Health Use (FOSHU) and are certified with a seal of approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare.
What is driving the demand for functional foods?
Several factors help explain why functional foods is one of the fastest growing categories of foods. These include the following:
- Advances in nutritional science, agricultural technologies, and processing techniques (e.g., biotechnology, genetic engineering) (4a,5,6b,10).
- Ready access to nutrition and medical information through widespread media coverage, the internet, and other avenues.
- Escalating health care costs which are placing more emphasis on disease prevention (3,4a).
- Recent legislative events such as government regulations which have changed how foods are marketed and labeled. The more flexible the regulatory environment, the easier it is to market functional foods (3).
- The rise in the aging population which is increasing the demand for healthier foods or food ingredients to improve health (2,3,11). By 2030, an estimated one-third of the U.S. population will be over 65 years of age and this population is particularly interested in functional foods to improve health.
- The growing self-care movement (9,12,13). Consumers are becoming more responsible for their own health and are taking an active role in improving heir health through foods. According to a 1999 Food Marketing Institute survey, about 60% of consumers are moderately or highly involved in their own health, compared to 50% in 1998 (13).
Types and Promising Benefits of Functional Foods. A wide variety of functional foods and food components of plant and animal origin is available (2,3,6b,10,14,15). Phytochemicals (i.e., lycopene, flavonoids, indoles, phenols) in plant-based foods are linked to reduced cancer risk; oats are documented to lower blood cholesterol levels; and several anticarcinogens (e.g., protease inhibitors, saponins, isoflavones) have been identified in soybeans (2).
Functional foods from animal sources include fish because of the presence of omega-3 fatty acids, meat because of its content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and dairy foods (2,6b,14). Dairy foods contain many functional or health-promoting components (2,6b). Calcium, an essential nutrient in milk and other dairy foods, has been demonstrated to help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, and possibly colon cancer, among other diseases. Milk proteins such as casein-based bioactive peptides and whey proteins (e.g., lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, lysozyme, and immunoglobulins) have several unique properties including anticarcinogenic and antimicrobial functions (16). Lipid-based bioactive compounds in milk and other dairy foods such as CLA, sphingolipids, and butyric acid may inhibit chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease as well as enhance immune function (6b,17). As discussed below, cultured and culture-containing dairy foods such as yogurt are considered functional foods because of the presence of probiotic cultures such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium which may improve microbial balance in the intestine (6b,14). Not only can traditional dairy foods be considered functional foods, but the functional attributes of these foods could be further enhanced by technologies such as bioprocessing or genetic engineering (6b).
Regulatory, Bioavailability, and Safety Issues. How should functional foods be regulated and labeled? At present, there is no separate regulatory category for functional foods in the U.S. (1,5,6a,18,19). The 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) regulates how nutrition information is provided in food labeling, while the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 specifies labeling regulations for dietary supplements (18). Functional foods may be regulated as conventional foods under the NLEA or as dietary supplements under the DSHEA, depending on their intended use and the nature of claims made on the food package.
Both foods and dietary supplements may carry structure/function claims (e.g., "calcium builds strong bones") (18). However, the Food and Drug Administration has approved only certain health claims. To bear a health claim, there must be substantial scientific evidence of a clear relationship between the food or food component and the specific health benefit (1). At present, the scientific evidence related to the health benefits of most functional foods is still evolving (15). Interactions among components in functional foods, the bioavailability of nutrients, and the effect of processing on the health-enhancing potential of functional foods all must be considered in labeling functional foods (4a,15,20). Careful consideration must be given to the safety of functional foods (2,3,4a,20). The key to adequately assessing the health-related benefits and safety of functional foods is the availability of accepted sensitive and reliable biological markers (4a,19).
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