Fun and Fitness for the 40-Something

I posted a couple of months ago about the American Dietetic Association’s position on functional foods like enriched bread—foods that boast health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Now Time magazine has chimed in with an article on “food as pharma.”

The article cites several examples of currently available foods enhanced with extra ingredients that purport to boost health:

• eggs + omega-3 fatty acids (to increase healthy fats)
• fruit juice + fiber (to improve absorption of sugar and reduce sugar highs and lows)
• milk + vitamin D (to increase consumption of vitamin D for healthy bones)
• spreads + plant sterols (to reduce cholesterol)
• flour + folate (to reduce the risk of spinal defects in newborns)
• yogurt + probiotics (to help digestion)
• orange juice + calcium (to increase consumption of calcium)

The ADA takes the position that “functional foods that include whole foods and fortified, enriched or enhanced foods have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed as part of a varied diet on a regular basis, at effective levels.”

The Time article cautions that “not every health claim on a label makes the food a functional food — and not all functional foods help prevent or reverse disease.” Because the FDA does not regulate functional foods, the claims may just be marketing fodder unsupported by scientific research.

Time also notes that experts have yet to even agree on a precise definition of functional foods:

” … many go by the simple guide that it’s something that’s often good for you to begin with and that has some added benefit not found in the food’s natural state. Other-than-butter spreads enhanced with plant oils, for example, qualify as functional foods, since they are less likely than animal fats to contribute to plaques in blood vessels, and the added plant sterols help reduce cholesterol even further. Soft drinks with extra vitamins and minerals don’t make the cut, however, since soda isn’t nutritious to start with.”

Poor soda—it’s such a popular punching bag.

Ultimately, the experts say you’re best off consuming lots of naturally nutritious foods and adding functional foods where you can. Makes sense to me.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Health and Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.