Functional Foods

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Functional Foods
Dr Alison Coates Nutritional Physiology Research
Centre ATN Centre for Metabolic Fitness
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What is a Functional Food?ANZFA in 1990
described them as similar in appearance to
conventional foods and intended to be consumed as
part of a normal diet, but modified to serve
physiological roles beyond the provision of
simple nutrient requirements.Scientists have
defined them as foods which have nutritional,
dietary, metabolic or therapeutic roles and also
potentially have disease prevention, mitigation
and control roles, over and above the
traditional nutritional sustenance provided.In
Japan, functional foods (FOSHU) are defined as
processed foods containing ingredients that aid
specific bodily functions, in addition to being
nutritious.The emphasis in all of these
definitions is on food that has a positive impact
on a consumers health, either curative or
preventative, in addition to its nutritive value.
- Aust. Food Grocery Council Fact Sheet
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Definition

• The government body that regulates food in
  Australia and New Zealand (ANZFA) defines
  functional foods as being '... similar in
  appearance to conventional foods and intended to
  be consumed as part of a normal diet, but
  modified to serve physiological roles beyond the
  provision of simple nutrient requirements.'
• Put simply
• functional foods are foods that provide health
  benefits beyond basic nutrition
• - Aus Food and Grocery Council Fact Sheet

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How to make foods functional

• Ingredients may be
• naturally occurring in these foods
• eg the soluble fibre found in oat bran.
• processing may boost their levels, increasing
  their activity
• be added to foods during processing

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Thus traditional foods can have functionality.
However,the future of food development is in
novel designer foods and meals
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Growth in Functional FoodsWorld market has grown
53.5 from 1995 to 1999 (estimated to rise from
US31 to 51 billion by 2004)
Source Functional foods - a world survey
Euromonitor International
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What can functional foods do for us?
Areas where functional foods have health
potential are Foods that afford cardiovascular
protection Foods with benefits for the
digestive system Foods designed to protect
against certain cancers Foods with sugar or
fat alternatives Foods with optimal fat ratios
for the elderly, people with diabetes, those
at risk of heart disease, and those with
inflammatory disease Foods designed for
athletes and recreation Foods to better combat
allergenicity
95 of Americans now believe that certain foods
have benefits that go beyond basic nutrition and
may reduce the risk of disease -IFIC,
1999
- Aust. Food Grocery Council Fact Sheet
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Examples of functional foods
Bread enriched with Omega 3s
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Dairy Functional Ingredients

• 3 main functional components
• Probiotics
• milk lipids eg. Omega 3s
• milk proteins and peptides
• Minor components include
• Range of peptides
• Potential health benefits
• anti-hypertension action- ACE inhibitor
• antimocrobial action and wound healing,
• probiotic action in the gut and control of gut
  microflora,
• anti-inflammatory action
• iron transport

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Soy- why is it good for you?

• Soybean have 3 potential ways they can improve
  heart health
• Soy proteins
• Isoflavones
• Low GI
• Soy has other benefits
• controlling hormonal mood swings
• Improved cognitive function

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Examples of functional foods
Foods that heave had components added
Foods that heave been modified through processing
Milk with Ultra High Calcium, Low Fat
Bread enriched with Omega 3s
Functional foods for Cholesterol lowering
Functional foods for gut health
Margarine with phytosterols
Probiotics
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Omega 3 Fatty Acids

• Omega 3s vs Omega 6s- what is the difference?
• AA vs EPA and DHA
• Where are omega 3s found?
• Have a range of health benefits
• Cardiovascular
• Anti-inflammatory
• Can be incorporated into other foods
• Pork enriched with Omega 3s

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?3 enrichment of meat and eggs Bartlett Grains
pilot trial 1996 20 PorcOmega (fortified tuna
fishmeal)
VLC ?3 content of Pork (mg/100g wet wt)
500
control
tuna meal (6wks)
tuna meal (10wks)
400
300
200
100
0
leg
loin
rib
forequarter
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Health benefits of ?3 PUFA prevention or
treatment?
Diabetes insulin resistance obesity? Inflammatory
disorders psoriasis/dermatitis rheumatoid
arthritis immune renal disease inflammatory
bowel disease asthma? Behavioural depression?
ADHD? schizophrenia? dementia?
Cardiovascular disease lipids (TG, HDL) blood
pressure platelet aggregation endothelial
function arterial compliance atherosclerosis
arrhythmias heart failure stroke kidney
damage Cancer
Metabolic Syndrome
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Mechanisms of action for polyunsaturated fatty
acids
Platelets
W blood cell
Chemotactic agent


n-3
n-3
1) Eicosanoids
n-6
n-6

2) Substrate for enzymes
COOH
CH3
COOH
CH3


3) Peroxidation
Red blood cells


4) Membrane- flexibility
more flexible



5) Acylation of proteins
FA
Protein
membrane

FA

Nucleus
Regulation of metabolism cell proliferation
6) Transcription factors
DNA
Promoter
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Glycemic Index (GI)

• The glycemic index describes this difference by
  ranking carbohydrates according to their effect
  on our blood glucose levels.
• Many foods with naturally low GI but how can we
  change the GI of a food?
• enclosure of cereal kernels
• sour dough fermentation
• addition of organic acids
• use of cereal genotypes
• with elevated contents of amylose
• or b-glucans (soluble fiber)

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Types of Starch

• Starch is made up of glucose molecules linked
  together to form amylose and amylopectin.
• Amylose has a linear molecular structure and can
  stack to form tightly packed granules which is
  insoluble and hard to digest
• Amylopectin has a branched structure and thus
  cannot form tightly packed granules and is thus
  easier to digest.

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Resistant Starch- Dietary Fiber and Its
Physiological Effects

• Starch that is not converted to glucose in the
  small intestine
• Acts as a substrate for bacterial fermentation
  and maintain the health of cells lining the colon
  
• Aid in preventing bowel cancer and lowering
  cholesterol

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Foods High in Resistant Starch

• Naturally Occurring
• intact wholegrain cereals/seeds/nuts
  (unprocessed) e.g oats, rye, wheat, barley,
  semolina, corn, linseed, sesame
• Legumes e.g lentils, baked beans (legumes have
  the highest content of RS)
• unripe fruit, especially banana
• Processed starchy foods
• e.g some breakfast cereals (like cornflakes),
  white bread, rice, pasta
• added RS called Hi-Maize derived from corn
• Ways to influence extent of RS
• Cooking and cooling the food can also increase
  the RS content
• Eg cooked cold rice (e.g sushi rice), cold pasta
  salad, cold boiled potato salad

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Examples of functional foods
Foods that heave had components added
Foods that heave been modified through processing
Milk with Ultra High Calcium, Low Fat
Bread enriched with Omega 3s
Functional foods for Cholesterol lowering
Functional foods for gut health
Margarine with phytosterols
Probiotics
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Plant sterols and stanols

• Structures
• Cholesterol is the principal sterol of animal
  products. Plant sterols and stanols are similar
  in structure to cholesterol.
• Plant sterols and stanols are natural substances
  found in wood pulp, leaves, nuts, vegetable oils,
  corn, rice, and some other plants.
• Primary mechanism of action
• cholesterol absorption
• Secondary actions
• anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory,
  anti-atherogenicity, and anti-oxidation
  activities
• Effect Size
• 2 g/day of plant sterols and stanols reduces
  serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
  concentrations by approximately 10.

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Examples of functional foods
Foods that heave had components added
Foods that heave been modified through processing
Milk with Ultra High Calcium, Low Fat
Bread enriched with Omega 3s
Functional foods for Cholesterol lowering
Functional foods for gut health
Margarine with phytosterols
Probiotics
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Probiotics vs Prebiotics

• Probiotic Actions
• They maintain a barrier against colonisation by
  pathogenic bacteria,
• inhibit the growth of pathogens
• enhance the gut immune response by contact and
  crosstalk with the host via the mucosa.
• Different probiotics show different effects
• Probiotics colonise the gut temporarily and they
  must be consumed regularly.
• The effects of probiotics can be enhanced by
  simultaneously providing prebiotics.

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Antioxidants- where do they come from?

• Many dietary sources
• Berries-
• cocoa
• Tea- catechins
• Protect against the action of free radicals

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Polyphenols

• Cardiovascular Effects
• Circulation
• BP
• Metabolic effects
• Glucose/insulin
• Anti-Inflammatory effects
• cytokines

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What Are Health Claims

•  In 1993 the FDA started approving so-called
  health claims on labels. But those claims are
  tightly regulated.
• Structure function vs health claim
• the structure/function claim
• "Calcium is necessary for bone growth and
  development
• If "osteoporosis" is introduced into the
  statement then it is a health claim
• A label can say that a diet low in saturated fat
  and cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart
  disease, but only if it has the FDAs approval
  and only if the food isnt unhealthy

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 Centre for Metabolic Fitness Optimising Health ?
Reducing Obesity ? Modifying Lifestyles
Nutritional Physiology Research Group Clinic
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Interesting websites and additional reading

• http//www.nceff.com.au/
• http//www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/
• http//www.allchem.co.uk/Food/Functional_Foods.asp
  x
• http//www.dsm.com/en_US/html/dnp/hnh_home.htm