Food for Health

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Food for Health

• Barbara H. Ingham
• Assistant Professor
• Extension Food Scientist

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Food for Health

• Pharmacy Foods
• Medical Foods
• Functional Foods

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Functional Food
A food product that has been clinically shown to
maintain human health or to promote human
well-being better than similar traditional foods
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Functional Foods

• Foods and ingredients
• that may play a role in
• optimal health

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Phytochemicals

• Medical edibles from plants

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Medicinal agents from plants

• 25 pharmaceutical agents are extracted from
  plants
• 3.2 billion people use plants as primary source
  of medicine
• Can food plants be used to prevent or fight
  disease?

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Plant-based Products

• Cancer Fighting Foods
• Broccoli, garlic, onions
• Soy
• Tea
• Tomatoes and tomato sauce
• Spinach and kale
• Cranberries

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Sulfur-Containing Foods(Allium Compounds-
Sulforaphane)

• Garlic and Onions
• Broccoli

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Sulforaphane

• Healing Benefits Inhibit cancer cells, lower
  cholesterol, protect against heart disease
• Suggested Amount
• 1-2 garlic cloves a day
• Let garlic stand for 10 minutes before heating

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Soy

• Phytoestrogens and Isoflavones

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Levels of Phytoestrogens

• mg/kg
• Green beans, fresh, raw 2
• Lima beans, raw, dry 15
• Green split peas, dry 73
• Alfalfa sprouts 47
• Soybeans 340
• Tofu 150
• Soy flour 230

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SOY

• Decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer
• Decreased atherosclerosis
• Lower blood cholesterol
• 4 oz tofu 8 oz soy milk per day

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Green Tea(catechins)

• Protective effects against cancer and heart
  disease

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Green Tea- antioxidants

• Fluoride-prevention of tooth decay
• Caffeine-less than coffee
• Phytochemicals- stop the activity of
  cell-damaging free radicals
• Dark chocolate too!
• Suggested amount-
• 1 cup of tea/day

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Tomato-Based Products

• Lycopene Providing the red color in tomato
  products, and cancer protection too!

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Lycopene Content of Foods

• mg/100 g wet wt
• Tomatoes, fresh 2.0
• Tomatoes, canned 3.7
• Tomato sauce 6.2
• Tomato paste 5.4-15.0
• Tomato juice 5.0-12
• Pizza sauce 13
• Ketchup 12
• Grapefruit, pink 4
• Watermelon 5

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Lycopene- antioxidant

• Protection against breast cancer, cancer of the
  GI tract, and skin cancer
• Protection against cardiovascular disease
• Suggested amount 10 servings per week

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Spinach and Kale (Lutein)

• Food sources kale, spinach, collards
• Antioxidant that filters UV rays
• May protect against cataracts and macular
  degeneration
• May protect against colon cancer
• Suggested amount ½ C cooked greens or 2 C. raw
  per day

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Lutein-Rich Vegetables

• Vegetable Lutein (mg/100g)
• Raw carrot 0.26
• Kale 21.9
• Raw spinach 10.0
• Broccoli 1.90
• Green peas 1.70
• Leaf lettuce 1.80
• Collard greens 16.3
• Also in oranges, celery, tomatoes.

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Cranberries(Anthocyanins)

• Protection against heart disease
• Protection against age-related mental decline
• Less pain and inflammation of diseases like
  arthritis and gout
• Foods berries, cherries, grapes
• Suggested amount 1 pint

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Margarine(Over-the-Top Functional Food)

• Benecol and Take Control
• Stanol and sterol ester-based (plant-based
  cholesterol)
• 50 of the population has high cholesterol
• 10 reduction in serum cholesterol in 2 weeks
• Block absorption of LDL in the blood
• May reduce risk of CHD
• Additional benefit if used w/ medication
• Recommended 2 servings/day

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Animal-Based Products

• Cancer Fighting Foods
• Yogurt
• CLA
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid

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Yogurt- the ultimate functional food

• Probiotics- products that contain
  health-promoting bacteria
• Lactic acid bacteria- slow or prevent the
  initiation of tumors

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Yogurt

• Calcium
• Protein
• B vitamins
• Minerals
• (Bacterial supplements have none of these added
  benefits)

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CLA- Conjugated Linoleic Acid

• One of the most potent naturally occurring
  anti-carcinogens
• A component of animal fat
• Found in dairy products and meat
• Suppresses heart disease in rabbits

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CLA

• Physiological Effects
• Animals eat less
• Increased body protein
• Decreased body fat
• (re-partitioning agent)

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CLA- Downside Risks

• Associated with fatty foods
• Link to cholesterol
• Association of some fats and cancer(?)

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Safety of Functional Foods

• Complicated inter-play between bioactive
  compounds and other substances
• Lack of research on some ingredients
• Supplements vs foods