In: Biology
Functional food refers to foods or ingredients of foods providing an additional physiological benefit beyond their basic nutritional needs.
The role of functional foods in prevention and treatment of several diseases is tremendous. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension are the most important diseases that can be treated or prevented by functional foods.
Oats. Oat products are a widely studied dietary source of the cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber b-glucan. This food can reduce total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).
Flaxseed. Among the major seed oils, flaxseed oil contains the most (57%) of the omega-3 fatty acid, a-linolenic acid.
Fish. Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids are an essential class of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) derived primarily from fish oil. It is good for heart.
Dairy Products. There is no doubt that dairy products are functional foods. They are one of the best sources of calci-um, an essential nutrient which can prevent osteoporosis and possibly colon cancer.