Emerging Trends in Foods and Nutrition Functional Foods

Emerging Trends in Foods and Nutrition Functional Foods and Nutrigenomics

Nutrition Professionals in Industry/Business l Areas of employment l Food industry l l Companies manufacturing food products, supplements, etc. Activities l l Dietetics Sales Marketing Communications

Functional Foods

Antioxidants & Phytochemicals

Functional Foods l l Naturally occurring food components providing demonstrated physiological benefits or that reduce the risk of chronic disease Beyond basic nutrition – health benefits Functional foods – whole food Nutraceuticals – isolate component of food sold in dosage form

Functional Foods l Conventional or Whole food example l Blueberries l Ranked #1 in antioxidant activity l Anthocyanin – the pigment that makes blueberries blue l Slow age related loss l Heart health l Urinary tract health l Nutrition

Functional Foods l Added food component – Modified Foods l Ocean Nutrition Canada l l l Omega-3 milk – Farmer’s Dairy Prenatal brain development Children’s brain development Heart disease prevention Promotion of registered dietitian

Pre- and Pro-biotics l l Influence intestinal microbes Prebiotics l l Refers to substrate Inulin – from chicory root Oligofructose (FOS) Probiotics l l Refers to beneficial bacteria Bifidobacteria Lactobacilli Acidophilus

Possible Practical Applications of Probiotic Agents l l l Management of pediatric diarrheal disease After antibiotic use Inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)

Future of Prebiotics & Probiotics l Need to clarify research findings for consistent professional use of probiotics l l l Use of probiotic species & specific strains Dosages & forms for use Safety of products Shelf life of products Prebiotic ‘fibres’ (e. g. , inulin) l Poorly understood fermentation profiles & dosages § Douglas, & Sanders, 2008

Functional Foods l Lead to claims on food labeling l l l Qualified health claims l “may” contribute to health situation Health claims l Confirmed relationship between food constituents & disease risk or health condition Dietary guidance claims l Health benefits of broad categories of foods § l E. g. , whole grains, V/F Structure & Function claims l Food constituent effect on normal structure & function of body

Dietitian’s Attitudes l l Survey of Canadian dietitians, 2008 60% respondents supported health claims on labels l l BUT only with adequate scientific support AND with government regulation Majority felt dietitians needed to become knowledgeable concerning functional foods & nutriceuticals § Sheeshka, & La. Croix, 2008

Functional Foods l l l Why are functional food products expected to continue to grow in the coming years? Should supplements of functional food components be expected to give similar results? What is the safe level of intake for functional foods?

Nutrition Professional Role & Responsibilities in Functional Foods l Nutrition professionals should respond by. . . ? l How does this suggested approach differ philosophically from traditional nutrition practice?

Nutrigenomics

Definitions l Nutritional genomics l l Is the field of study Nutrigenomics l Concerned with the environmental influence on gene expression

Nutrigenomics l Working towards dietary strategies to prevent and treat chronic disease

Fundamental Principles l l l Dietary components (bioactive molecules) that control gene function Individual genetic makeup and nutrient requirements Nutrition and lifestyle manipulated according to genes Diet responsive genes and chronic disease Individualized dietary intervention

Initiators l l l Human genome project Nutrients are potent dietary signals influencing the metabolic programming of cells Hereditary factors can predispose complex chronic disease

Areas of potential benefit l Chronic inflammation l l l e. g, Catechins (tea), curcumin (turmeric), resveratrol (grapes), lactones (chicory) Cardiovascular disease Osteoporosis

PERIOD 2 gene variants l l PER 2 linked to abdominal obesity People with minor variant significantly more likely than non-carriers to: l l l withdrawal from wt-loss treatment program experience stress with dieting display extreme snacking behavior eat when bored skip breakfast Shows need for personalized programs based on genetic testing and behavioral therapy § Garaulet, et al. , 2010

Telomere length & multivitamin use l Telomere – terminal section of chromosome involved in replication and stability l l l Shorten with repeated replications, so may be a marker of biological aging Antioxidant vitamins & minerals may affect length Recent large study (Sisters Study) showed daily multivitamin users had on average 51% longer telomeres (~9. 8 years age-related loss) l Only vit C & E from food were related to telomere length Preliminary findings l l

Why is this important? l Emerging as key area in nutrition practice l l Potential to enhance effectiveness of practice Opportunities to grow over next 5 -10 years Enhances ability to make diet & lifestyle choices to improve health & reduce disease risk Nutrition professionals need to l l Keep up with science in area Use evidence to develop products & services

The Future l Very new science l l l Many complex mechanisms to understand first l l Personalized dietary advice or product development premature at this point Positive opinion by public e. g. , how individual genes interact with each other Lifelong approach to learning essential to be up to date

Challenges l l Health professionals & public not prepared to effectively integrate research into practice Lack of knowledge & experts How to fit into already crowded curricula at undergrad level Genetic variations & links to health must be known l l l Need valid, reliable genetic testing assays Testing to occur in credentialed labs Need to address ethical concerns over misuse