How to add enhanced functional foods to your diet

The link between diet and health continues to grow, and researchers have begun looking at benefits that certain foods may provide beyond their basic nutritional value. Here are some tips on adding healthy functional foods to your diet.

Recent years have seen a growing interest in functional foods — foods that have specific components, naturally occurring or added, that may reduce the risk of certain diseases. Whole as well as fortified, enriched or enhanced foods can fall into this category.

• Unmodified whole foods such as fruits and vegetables are the simplest example of a functional food. For example, broccoli, ­carrots or tomatoes may be considered functional foods because they are particularly rich in compounds that have been linked with reduced risk of ­various diseases.
• Modified foods, including those fortified with nutrients or enhanced with specific phytochemicals or botanical extracts, are also functional foods. There is hope that these can play a role in prevention and treatment of conditions like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis and others.

The functional-food market is one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. food industry, and is also growing rapidly in Japan and England. In other countries, such as Canada, growth is slower because of regulatory constraints.

• Some types of fortified functional foods have been around for a long time. For example, we fortify milk and margarine with vitamin D to prevent vitamin D deficiency diseases such as rickets.
• We add iodine to salt to prevent goiter.

But the recent explosion of research into the role of food and nutrients and disease has resulted in huge interest by food companies to develop and market foods as medicine.

• In the ­United States, products like cereal with added psyllium to lower cholesterol, and tea with St. John's wort for mood improvement are on the shelf. Since these products are not regulated, a consumer has no way of knowing how much of the "active ingredient" they contain.
• Herbal medicine experts decry the addition of herbs to products such as soft drinks and snacks as an attempt to exploit people's growing interest in alternative medicine.

There are many areas of controversy surrounding functional foods.

• Some believe that they will distract people from eating healthy diets.
• Some blast manufacturers for making health claims for which, in many cases, there is little or no scientific support.
• Others believe that there is plenty of evidence to show that certain functional foods could be the answer to reducing the prevalence of chronic disease and the cost of treatment.

Regardless of the controversy, strong consumer interest in functional foods will most likely drive continued development of this market.

Some of the food components that are the focus of current research are:

Omega-3 fatty acids

• These have been linked to the treatment and prevention of a variety of diseases, including heart disease and stroke, lupus, diabetes, in­flammatory bowel disease and some cancers.
• Foods containing omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish, fish oils and flaxseed. Some eggs now contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Soy protein

• Research supports soy protein's role in the reduction of blood cholesterol levels.
• Soy protein can be found in a variety of soy foods, including soybeans, soy nuts, tofu and soy beverage.

 Probiotics

• Probiotics are active bacterial cultures that can help restore gut function and improve immune response.
• They are found in yogurt and fermented foods.

Lutein

• This carotenoid (a type of antioxidant) has been linked to age-related macular degeneration, the main cause of vision loss in older people.
• It is in foods such as eggs, corn, spinach, oranges, broccoli and chard.