Functional foods - EFR 6-16

The line between food and medicine has been blurred by pressures from many different interests. We must help the consumer learn enough science to allow them to think carefully before they are drawn into the latest buzzwords whether those words are "functional foods," "nutraceuticals," or whatever is "discovered" next. The following article explains how the term "functional foods" is evolving and being reviewed.

(Submitted by Lisa Spence, Extension graduate assistant)

Excerpted from Food Insight:Current Topics in Food Safety and Nutrition, Int. Food & Information Council, Nov/Dec 1995

Lycopene in your tomato sauce? Beta-carotene in your soup? As the next millennium approaches, one of the hottest areas in food science and public policy is functional foods. Nutritionists, food scientists, food marketers and others are exploring how today's traditional foods, and perhaps new food formulations, may open doors to a healthier tomorrow.

"The definition of functional foods is still evolving but refers to foods that, by virtue of physiologically active components, provide benefits beyond basic nutrition and may prevent disease or promote health," explained Clare Hasler, Ph.D., director of the University of Illinois Functional Foods for Health Program. "These benefits are best realized from a wide variety of foods rather than supplements." However, most foods are functional, since they provide important nutrients essential for health.

Driving demand for functional foods in the United States are rapid advances in science and technology, rising health care costs, an aging population and changing government regulations on food marketing and labeling. But public policies defining how functional foods should be marketed and what health claims may be permitted are currently subjects of intense debate.

Grocery stores already are filled with numerous foods that would meet the definition of functional foods. Many cereal grains, fruit and vegetables are touted for their potential cancer prevention benefits.

Researchers are exploring the phytochemical components of traditional foods like beta-carotene and other carotenoids that may be responsible for health benefits.

"Lycopene, present abundantly in tomatoes, ruby red grapefruit and red peppers, is the carotenoid found in highest concentrations in U.S. human blood serum," said Phyllis Bowen, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois Functional Foods for Health Program. New research from Harvard Medical School suggests that intake of lycopene from foods such as pizza and tomato sauce may help reduce prostate cancer risk.

Products designed to enhance gastrointestinal system function are becoming increasingly popular in Europe and Asia. Some food components can effectively improve the quality of microflora or "good bacteria" in the gut. In some countries, fermented milk products enhanced with lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are consumed routinely. In Japan, several new oligosaccharides developed as bulk sugar substitutes also have been found to improve intestinal microflora and decrease the risk of tooth decay.

Despite the excitement of all the new products and potential health benefits, experts are still cautious about how functional foods should be regulated. A number of European representatives proposed the regulatory category of "functional claims," in addition to health claims. Functional claims could demonstrate how the product improves bodily function in the short-term, without making any long-term health claim.

In the United States, functional foods do not have a separate regulatory category so they must fit into an existing category. "The primary determinant (of regulatory category) is intended use," said Walter Glinsmann, M.D., an advisor to the Food and Drug Administration who is affiliated with Georgetown University's Center for Food and Nutrition Policy. "Functional foods could be considered conventional foods, special dietary supplements or medical foods used by physicians to manage disease."

Glinsmann echoes other who predicted that categorization of functional foods will depend on case-by-case labeling and safety requirements. In the final analysis, he stated, "Functional foods will be judged in terms of their safe use and suitability for health-related claims."

For now, experts agree that the scientific evidence related to functional foods is still unfolding. Thus, the best advice is to consume a wide variety of foods that contain both known beneficial compounds and those awaiting discovery.