Essay On Functional Food

The lifestyle in India, particularly in urban areas is westernizing rapidly and has been associated to alarming increase in the incidence of lifestyle related health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The work has become more technological, strenuous, involves limited physical activity and odd working hours. Major shifts are happening in the diet structure, physical activity in jobs and related disease patterns. Major dietary change includes a large increase in the consumption of fat and added sugar in the diet, often a marked increase in animal food products contrasted with a fall in total cereal intake and fiber. The deteriorating state of health in urban India raises questions about the adequacy of the

The concept of Functional Foods has been adopted differently by the countries across the globe. The differences lay in the definition and thereby the scope and the regulatory framework that governs the market. The concept of functional food was first promoted in 1984 by Japanese scientists who studied the relationships between nutrition, sensory satisfaction, fortification and modulation of physiological systems (Istvan et al., 2008). There it referred to the food products fortified with special constituents that possess advantageous physiological effects (Hardy, 2000; Stanton et al., 2005). Functional foods also offer the perception that the food industry is removing less desirable elements in foods (fats, sugars, sodium, etc.) and adding more sought-after ingredients (Mulry, 2002). Another research says that a functional food is, or appears similar to, a conventional food. It is part of a standard diet and is consumed on a regular basis, in normal quantities. It has proven health benefits that reduce the risk of specific chronic diseases or ill states in addition to its basic nutritional functions (Doyon and Labrecque, 2008). In Europe, Functional Food Science in Europe (FuFoSE) defines functional food as ‘‘a food