Functional foods history

Dietary fibre, which comprises all the non-digestible structural carbohydrates of plant cell walls and any associate lignin, provides a further example of a complex food-borne factor which cannot be classified as a nutrient, and which continues to generate debate over such issues as definition and analytical techniques. However, whatever the unresolved complexities, dietary fibre has a lengthy history and had proved itself eminently suitable as a component of functional food products long before the term was even coined. 

Thus in this volume, as a result of a careful juxtaposition of what might be called classical natural product-based drug discovery where pure single compounds or their close chemical relatives, are used as ethical pharmaceutical agents, with commentaries on the history and use of agents found in functional foods and alternative therapies , the reader will have a more nuanced understanding of the role that natural... 

When referring to functional foods, the non-defined status and requirements (outside of Japan) have to be taken into account. Present novel-food legislation sets special demands on the history and properties of the products, and increasing research and development is necessary to support these requirements for stearidonic acid. 

In China, functional foods (referred to as health foods) have been viewed as part of an unbroken medical tradition that does not separate medicinal herbs from foods. Over 3000 varieties of health foods are available to Chinese consumers, most derived from compound herbal formulas for which the active ingredients and their mechanism of action are unknown, all claiming multiple effects on various body systems, with little experimental evidence for safety and efficacy but widespread acceptance due to their history of use. 

A review of the history, current stmcture, and function of the Food and Dmg Administration. 

Biocides and antioxidants used as direct food additives are classified as preservatives (B-81MI11507, B-72MI11500). Their function is to enhance the keeping ability, or stability, of food products. The use of such additives is carefully controlled in most countries, and the majority of substances employed have a long history of safe use (b-81MH1509). 

The tools for nutritional assessment include medical history and screening aides, physical examination and anthropometric measurements, biochemical assessment, and tests of immune function. A general health assessment and medical history are required to rule out causes of secondary malnutrition such as poor oral health, chronic illness, disease, and medication. Malnutrition is influenced by lifestyle, which includes alcohol usage in adults, food preference, eating habits, social interactions, and economic status. Various screening tools, such as the DETERMINE checklist (White et al., 1991), are available to assess the risk of malnutrition. 

---