Many interesting discussions arise over coffee. A recent example concerned changes in diet over the course of our lives in Ireland. The chat ranged from “the boiling of everything to near oblivion”, through the merits of cabbage water and bread poultices (not for ingestion), to food bartering that often took place between neighbours so that relative poverty did not necessarily result in a poor diet.
Food as a topic of conversation now seems to come second only to weather. Virtually every magazine and newspaper has a food or diet section and television programmes starring celebrity chefs are everywhere. The information overload results in a profusion of opinions on nutrition and health, and much confusion.
Food takes us into very complex areas. Most of us know that deep-fried Mars bars do not constitute good heart food, that the “five a day” rule is a good one and we really can cultivate healthy eating habits. We know many health problems may be caused or exacerbated by poor diets; including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary artery disease and osteoporosis.
However, another far more sophisticated endeavour may soon become part of the general lexicon – the production and proliferation of functional foods.
It has been argued that, while food is seen as a significant problem, we may come to view it as a potential solution to many ills. The functional food industry has exploded over the past 15 years or so, and a monumental amount of work is being done, by academics, producers and government agencies, in an attempt to mine food for compounds that significantly increase our quality of life.
While there is no internationally agreed definition of functional food, it is generally taken to refer to food with a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. This may be inherent in a particular food, but is more often gained by adding bioactive ingredients, such as calcium, folate, or omega-3 fatty acids extracted from other food sources.
It is claimed that functional foods reduce the risk of chronic disease and result in better disease management. They can also promote growth and development, and enhance performance.
The word “may” often arises in the promotion of functional foods. They may improve memory, reduce inflammation in arthritis, lower cardiovascular disease and so on. Particular populations may benefit from certain functional foods including those with chronic medical conditions, women of child-bearing age, adolescents, athletes and the elderly.
Sorting the claims
Science-based support for claims may vary considerably in relevance and quality. There are many stakeholders with an interest in a worldwide market for functional foods that is valued at
$74 billion (€55.24 billion).
A 2010 functional foods conference hosted by Enterprise Ireland brought together experts from Europe and the US to consider three key areas: health claims, consumer interests and regulation. Speakers emphasised the importance of substantiating health claims and maintaining high research standards.
NutraMara – the Marine Functional Foods Research Initiative – was established by the Marine Institute and the Department of Food in 2008. It assesses and develops the potential for extraction of functional food products from marine sources.
Three areas of particular interest are: the mining of chitin and related compounds from shellfish waste; omega-3 and other fatty acids from fish oils; and alginates, carrageenans and other compounds from marine algae.
There is concern that claims regarding effectiveness may go beyond the scientific evidence, that people may be tempted to use food as medicine to the exclusion of appropriate treatments and that aggressive marketing may result in people eating high-calorie and fatty “junk food” fortified with health-promoting ingredients.
While there appears to be much promise that functional foods may increase quality of life and improve health, they are unlikely to be a panacea. It is important that they are viewed as just one component in a combination that includes exercise, smoking cessation, normal weight maintenance, stress reduction and low alcohol consumption.
Dr Nora Khaldi of UCD will discuss the potential of functional foods at the Irish Skeptics Society's December meeting.
Paul O'Donoghue is a clinical psychologist and founder member of
the Irish Skeptics Society, contact@irishskeptics.org