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Review
. 2023 Mar;60(3):820-834.
doi: 10.1007/s13197-021-05193-3. Epub 2021 Jul 8.

Functional foods and their impact on health

Musthafa Mohamed Essa  1   2   3 , Muhammed Bishir  4   5 , Abid Bhat  4   5 , Saravana Babu Chidambaram  4   5 , Buthaina Al-Balushi  1 , Hamdan Hamdan  6   7 , Nagamaniammai Govindarajan  8 , Robert P Freidland  9 , M Walid Qoronfleh  10
Affiliations
Review

Functional foods and their impact on health

Musthafa Mohamed Essa et al. J Food Sci Technol. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Functional foods play an important role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reducing the risk factors of various diseases. Most foods have a functional element which is responsible for improving the healthy state. All food substances such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, meat, fish, dairy contain functional ingredients. A wide range of naturally occurring substances from plant and animal sources having active components which play a role in physiological actions deserve attention for their optimal use in maintaining health. The market for functional food is keep on expanding, and the global market is projected to reach a value of at least 91 billion USD soon. Overwhelming evidence from preclinical (in vitro and in vivo) and clinical studies have shown that intake of functional foods could have an impact on the prevention of chronic diseases, especially cancer, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal tract disorders and neurological diseases. Extensive research needs to be done to determine the potential health benefits for the proper application of these foods to improve health state and combat chronic disease progression. The aim of this review is to conduct a thorough literature survey, to understand the various classification of functional foods and their health benefits.

Keywords: Fruits; Functional food; Nutraceuticals; Nuts; Plant food; Probiotics; Vegetables; antioxidants.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Health benefits of functional foods
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Lycopene present in tomato is a potent antioxidant which provides several health benefits
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mechanism by which buckwheat intake provides benefits in different disease conditions
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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