Module 13 Flashcards
What is FOSHU?
- Functional foods, designer foods and natural health products are terms that are often used interchangeably, to refer to foods or food components with a positive impact on an individual’s health, physical performance, or state of mind, in addition to their nutritive value.
- Japan was the first country to introduce the term “functional foods.”
- In the 1980s the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare introduced a category of foods which had health-promoting effects.
- The Japanese termed this food category as Food for Specific Health Use (FOSHU).
FOSHU = processed foods containing ingredients that aid specific bodily functions in addition to being nutritious.
What are the three conditions for defining a functional food according to the Japanese?
- it must be a food (not a capsule, tablet, powder) derived from naturally occurring ingredients;
- it can and should be consumed as part of the daily diet; and
- it has a particular function when ingested, serving to regulate a particular body process (defense mechanism, prevention/recovery from a specific disease, slowing the aging process, control of physical and mental conditions.)
What are the 12 classes of ingredients which the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare identified as health-enhancing?
- Dietary fibre
- Oligosaccharides
- Sugar alcohols
- Amino acids, peptides, and proteins
- Glycosides
- Alcohols
- Vitamins
- Lactic acid bacteria
- Minerals
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids
- Phytochemicals and antioxidants
Discern between a natural health product and a functional food.
- A natural health product is a product isolated or purified from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with food. A natural health product is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection against chronic disease.
- A functional food is similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food, is consumed as part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions.
Functional foods must be presented as “food” (e.g., Born 3 eggs) and not as an isolated form or food constituent, which will be the case of a natural health product (e.g., omega-3 fatty acid tablets).
How are functional foods developed?
- fortification with vitamins and/or minerals, beyond mandatory requirements, to provide added health benefits (for example, fortified soy beverages and fruit juice with calcium);
- addition of bioactive ingredients (for example, margarine with phytosterols, muffins with beta-glucan, yogurts with probiotics, and drinks with herb blends); and
- enhancement with bioactive components through plant breeding, genetic modification, processing, or special livestock feeding techniques (for example, eggs, milk and meat with omega-3; canola oil high in carotenoids; and strawberries with enhanced levels of ellagic acid).
What is the physiological effect of dietary fibre?
- Reduced risk of colon cancer
- Lowers cholesterol
What is the physiological effect of vitamins C and E?
- Reduce risk of heart disease
- Cancer prevention
- Lowers cholesterol
What is the physiological effect of lycopene?
- Reduced risk of certain types of cancer
What is the physiological effect of Benecol spread?
- Reduced ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol
What is the physiological effect of Tropicana orange juices with added Calcium and Vitamin D?
- Minimize the risk of the development of osteoporosis
What is the physiological effect of Kellog’s All Bran cereal?
- Helps regulate the gatrointestinal condition
Most of the functional foods that have been developed are […].
- Beverages
- Some examples include Japan’s best-selling soft drink “FibeMini” which contains dietary fibre supplement, minerals, and vitamins.
- Another example is Omega-3 milk beverages that are now available to Canadian consumers.
Give 4 examples of functional foods.
- Benecol spread
- Tropicana orange juices with added Vitamin D and calcium
- Kellog’s All Bran cereal
- Born 3 eggs
Give 5 examples of natural health products.
- Dietary fibre
- Vitamins C and E
- Lycopene
- Omega-3 fatty acid tablets
What are probiotics?
- The term probiotic refers to health-promoting microorganisms that will improve the intestinal microflora balance when deliberately ingested.
- Probiotics may be consumed in the form of natural health products or functional food products.
Examples of probiotics are […]
- Bacteria from the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium
Dominant organisms in the human small and large intestines, respectively.
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp. are […]
- Lactic acid bacteria that are non-pathogenic, Gram-positive and that have lactic acid as a primary metabolic end-product.
- Traditionally used in the production of yogurt.
Fermented food products provide many nutritional advantages such as:
- Ease of digestibility
- Improved availability of some nutrients
By stimulating the growth of probiotics […] can be reduced.
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Intestinal discomfort
- Flatulence
What may be prevented by consuming a sufficient quantity of foods containing viable (live) probiotics?
- Diarrhea
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Colitis
- Colon cancer
The beneficial properties of probiotics against colon cancer are associated with: [2]
- Metabolic conversion, degradation and/or absorption of carcinogenic compounds
- Stimulation of the immune system
Probiotic bacteria must be present in numbers high enough to have a physiogical effect on the consumer. This is:
- These numbers should be above 10^6 (1 million) viable organisms per ml and at least 100 ml of the product should be consumed twice per week.
- Survival of the probiotic cultures during distribution, retailing and in the consumer’s home is required to maintain the efficacy of those food products (probiotic yogurts) or natural health products (capsules of probiotic bacteria).
What are natural and non-prescription health products?
- These products are used to prevent, diagnose or treat disease, restore or correct function, or maintain or promote health.
- NNHPs may be derived from plants, animals or micro-organisms
How are natural and non-prescription health products (NNHPs) regulated?
- The new Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Regulations were published in June 2003, in Canada Gazette, Part II, and came into effect on January 1, 2004, with a transition period for phasing in and compliance.
- The regulations provide details regarding: (1) definitions, (2) product licensing, (3) adverse reaction reporting, (4) site licensing, (5) good manufacturing practices, (6) clinical trials involving human subjects, (7) types of evidence and claims, and (8) labelling and packaging requirements.
FOSHU
Term coined in Japan to describe foods that have health promoting effects
Functional foods
Canadian term for foods that have been enhanced to provide specific health benefits
Natural health products
Components of foodstuff that have been isolated and sold in purified form
Probiotics
Microorganisms that promote good health
Term coined in Japan to describe foods that have health promoting effects
FOSHU
Canadian term for foods that have been enhanced to provide specific health benefits
Functional foods
Components of foodstuff that have been isolated and sold in purified form
Natural health products
Microorganisms that promote good health
Probiotics
How much probiotic bacteria must be in a food for it to have a physiological effect on the consumer? (cells per ml and at least 100 mL consumed twice per week)
10^6
What type of food is most commonly designed to be a functional food?
Beverages
Give an example of a probiotic bacteria.
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Vitamin C and E can have what physiological effect?
Reduced heart disease risk