Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease cancer diabetes alzheimer s disease cataracts and age related functional decline Chapter 10 5 Phytochemicals and Functional Foods What Are Phytochemicals Plant chemicals o Not considered nutrients How Do Phytochemicals Reduce Our Risk of Disease Flavonoids and phenolic acids are the most abundant Reduce inflammation Enhance the activity of certain enzymes Protect against cancer Protect against infections Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease Is There an RDA for Phytochemicals Phytochemicals interacts with each other in the body to produces a synergistic effect o Tomatoes lycopene Interact with macronutrients and vitamins and minerals Can act in different ways under different circumstances in the body o Phytoestrogens in soy Appear to be protective in the low doses commonly provided by foods but may have very different effects from supplements o Instead of protecting our cells phytochemicals might benefit our healthy by stressing our cells causing them to rev up their internal defense systems What Are Functional Foods Functional foods provides a health benefit beyond basic nutrition as a food or food component o Include conventional foods fortified enriched or enhanced foods and dietary supplements o May contain naturally occurring phytochemicals helpful bacteria required for production of the food or a level of micronutrients higher than what would be provided by the same food in an unprocessed form Are Functional Foods Safe o Fda hs no official definition or regulatory category for functional foods o In order for foods to be allowed on the market any functional ingredient added to that food must be generally recognized as safe Are Functional Foods Effective o Probiotics pro life o Enviga calorie burning beverage o Epigallocatechin gallate EGCG a phytochemical that occurs in green tea No negative effects
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