Strictly speaking, all foods are “functional”: they serve to supply nutrients. By definition, the English term functional food refers to new foods that are intended to additionally promote health and are enriched with additional ingredients for this purpose: Minerals, fiber, vitamins, trace elements, microorganisms. This sounds futuristic and fits the zeitgeist. The only question is whether there is also a benefit behind it.
Functional foods not a novelty
Functional is also nothing new. As early as the century before last, sailors discovered the connection between vitamin C deficiency and scurvy. They knew how to avoid tooth loss, muscle atrophy, weight loss and bleeding by using (dried) fruits and (pickled) vegetables. European consumers have yet to become familiar with the many new products sold as Functional. For decades, the Japanese have had the choice of actively taking care of their health by eating certain foods. The effect is visible. Japanese women are less likely to develop breast cancer than American or European women. In Japan, foods with proven health-promoting ingredients have received awards from government health authorities since 1993.
Foshu or functional food?
More than 100 foods have now received the coveted FOSHU label. New applications for the label must have one or more of the ingredients scientifically recognized and proven in studies to have a positive effect on health. Individual evidence of effect is no longer required. As a result, the number of products labeled as FOSHU is rapidly increasing. The items range from calcium-containing tea to cookies to combat iron deficiency, vitamin drinks to ice cream enriched with lactic acid bacteria and dietary fiber. In Japan, there are also already edibles for beauty: drinks with hyaluronic acid or collagen for more beautiful skin, gingko chips that are supposed to reduce stress and thus improve health and appearance, and foods with stimulating substances. Europeans criticize a lack of strict control and selection in certification. In America, on the other hand, the market with Japanese FOSHU foods is booming.
Ingredients that can be certified
| Dietary fiber | Beta-glucans, wheat bran, psyllium |
|---|---|
| Oligosaccharides and sugar alcohols. | Fructo-oligosaccharides, maltitol |
| peptides and proteins | casein, phosphopeptites |
| Secondary plant constituents | Phenols glycosides, terpenes, sterols |
| Vitamins | Beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamins C and E |
| Coline | Soya and egg lecithin |
| Lactic acid bacteria | Lactobacillus acidophilus La1 |
| Minerals | Iron, calcium |
Examples of functional foods
| Food | Presumed health benefits |
|---|---|
| Probiotic cultures of microorganisms in fermented milk products. | Improvement and regulation of intestinal functions |
| Margarine, cheese spreads, yogurts | Plant sterols and stanols to lower cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease |
| Eggs with omega-3 essential fatty acids | Eggs with omega-3 essential fatty acids |
| Breakfast cereals | Addition of folic acid reduces risk of spina bifida (open back) in newborns |
| Bread, cereal bars | Isoflavones reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis |
| Low sodium products | Decrease high blood pressure |
| High levels of soy protein, richness in soluble dietary fiber | Positive effect on cardiovascular system and digestion |
| Products with high content of folic acid | Prevention of neural tube damage (spina bifida or open back in newborns) |
| Products sweetened with sugar alcohols. | Prevention of dental caries |
| Products with antioxidants | Promotion of the immune system, cancer prevention |
Too much of a good thing?
Nine out of ten Swiss women are convinced that nutrition is important for health. The fact that knowledge does not protect against mistakes is shown by the fact that we nevertheless also eat too much and too fat. Modern nutrition science tries to lead people away from “adequate” to “optimal” nutrition: Every woman and man should eat food that meets their individual needs. Children and adolescents need sufficient vitamins for healthy growth and calcium for bone formation, people who work hard need more daily calories than someone who sits in front of the computer all week. High-performance athletes need a different diet than older people.
