Lecture 8 - Introduction to Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

Question 1

What is a functional food?

Answer 1

Similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food. It is consumed as part of a usual diet. It is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, i.e. they contain bioactive component(s)

Question 2

Name the four bioactive categories? What are their physiological actions?

Answer 2

Prebiotics & probiotics (digestive health)
Carotenoids (Antioxydant, vision, prostate)
Fibre (Cancer, heart)
Fatty acids (heart)

Question 3

How do prebiotics and probiotics help the digestive health?

Answer 3

Prebiotics: provide substrates, like inulin and fructooligosaccharides, that encourage bacterial growth (soy, artichokes, garlic)
Probiotics: “healthy” bacteria Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria (probiotic yogurt)

Question 4

Explain the physiological action of carotenoids

Answer 4

Provide antioxydants, like caroten (carrots, sweet potato, cantaloupe). Help vision by providing luteins (spinach, kale). Help the prostate by providing lycopene (tomato, tomato-based products)

Question 5

Explain the role fibre has with cancer and the heart

Answer 5

Insoluble fibre helps move bulk through the intestines, moving carcinogenes through (wheat bran). Also it reduces the pH, allowing bacteria to growth (not pathogenes). Psyllium (soluble fibre) binds cholesterol, not allowing it to be absorbed into the blood stream.

Question 6

Describe the bioactive category of fatty acids

Answer 6

Monosaturated fats (olive oil, canola oil, nuts)
Polyunsaturated fats (fatty fish, flax)
Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the blood pressure and prevent atherosclerosis

Question 7

Name the functional food categories

Answer 7

Basic food (food containing a natural level of bioactive component, ex. carrot)
Processed food without added ingrediants (ex. oat bran cereal)
Processed food with added ingrediants (ex. calcium enriched orange juice)
Food enhanced to have more of a bioactive component via traditional breeding, special livestock feeding or genetic engineering (tomatoes with higher levels of lycopene, eggs with omega-3 from flax)

Question 8

How does the Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations define “food”?

Answer 8

Any article manufactured, sold, or represented for use as food or drink for human beings, chewing gum, and any ingredient that may be mixed with food for any purpose whatsoever

Question 9

How does the Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations define “drug”?

Answer 9

Any substance or mixture of substances manufactured, sold or represented for use in: the diagnosis, treatment, mitigation or prevention of a disease, disorder or abnormal physical state, or its symptoms, restoring, correcting or modifying organic function

Question 10

Name four types of health claims

Answer 10

Structure/function (generic or specific)
Risk reduction (generic or specific)
Biological role (body functions, good health, growth development)
Therapeutic

Question 11

Give an example of a generic health claim

Answer 11

A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats may reduce the risk of heart disease. Product X is low in saturated and trans fats

Question 12

Give an example of a product-specific health claim

Answer 12

Product X may reduce the risk of heart disease (not approved in Canada)

Question 13

Name the five approved risk reduction health claims in Canada

Answer 13

Low sodium, high potassium and reduced risk of high blood pressure. Calcium, vitamin D and reduced risk of osteoporosis. Low saturated and trans fat and reduced risk of heart disease. Vegetables and fruit and reduced risk of some types of cancers. Non-fermentable carbohydrates in gums and hard candies and the non-promotion of dental caries

Question 14

Name the five approved therapeutic health claims in Canada

Answer 14

Replacement of saturated fats with unsaturated fats and blood cholesterol lowering. Psyllium fibre and blood cholesterol lowering. Plant sterols (phytosterols) and blood cholesterol lowering. Oat fibre and blood cholesterol lowering. Barley fibre and blood cholesterol lowering

Question 15

Name the three rejected health claims in Canada

Answer 15

Whole grains and coronary heart disease. Dietary fat and cancer. Dietary fibre, grain products and cancer

Question 16

What is a nutraceutical?

Answer 16

Bioactive component isolated or purified from foods. Generally sold in medical forms not usually associated with foods. Is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease

Question 17

How are nutraceuticals regulated?

Answer 17

They fall under the umbrella term: Natural Health Product (NHP). NHPs are regulated as a special subset of ‘drugs’ (not ‘food’) under Canada’s Food and Drug Act and Regulations