Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals Quiz and Flashcards

Study Notes

Nutraceuticals range from isolated nutrients, herbal products, dietary supplements, and diets to genetically engineered designer foods and processed products.
Functional foods are classified into three categories: whole food/basic foods, fortified foods, and enhanced foods.
Fortified foods are natural foods fortified with other nutrients, whereas enhanced foods are foods that have more of a functional component through traditional breeding and genetic engineering.

Nutraceuticals cover most of the therapeutic areas, including: • Antiarthritic • Cold and cough • Sleeping disorders • Digestion • Prevention of certain cancers • Osteoporosis • Blood pressure • Cholesterol control • Pain killers • Depression • Diabetes • Cardiovascular disease • Degenerative diseases

Broadly, nutraceuticals can be classified into two groups: potential nutraceuticals and established nutraceuticals.
On the basis of chemical nature, nutraceuticals can be grouped into: • Carbohydrates and their derivatives • Fatty acids and lipid structures • Microorganisms • Proteins and amino acid structures • Phenolic compounds • Isoprenoid derivatives • Minerals

Defined as the plant part that is not hydrolyzed by enzymes secreted by the human digestive tract, but digested by microflora in the gut.
Divided into two forms: insoluble dietary fiber (celluloses, some hemicelluloses, and lignins) and soluble dietary fiber (β-glucans, pectins, gums, mucilages).
A good intake of dietary fiber lowers the risk of several diseases, including: • Coronary heart disease • Stroke • Hypertension • Diabetes • Obesity • Certain gastrointestinal disorders
Dietary fiber’s ability to decrease body weight is contributed to several factors, including: • Soluble fiber creating a feeling of satiety • Decreasing energy absorption by diluting a diet’s energy availability • Decreasing a diet’s metabolizable energy

Principal micronutrient antioxidants of the body, including: • Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) • Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) • β-carotene
These micronutrients scavenge free radicals and cannot be manufactured by the body, so they should be supplied in the diet.