Functional foods and nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, and natural antioxidants have established their potential roles in the protection of human health against disease. Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in Human Health and Disease Prevention examines the benefits, efficacy, and success of properly designed nutraceuticals and functional foods

Global health and the increasing incidence of various diseases are a cause for concern, and doctors and scientists reason that the diet, food habits and lifestyle are contributing factors. Processed food has reduced the nutritional value of our diet, and although supplementing foods with various additives is considered an alternative, the long-term impact of this is not known. Many laboratories around the world are working to identify various nutritional components in our daily food and their effect on human health. These have been classified as Nutraceuticals or functional food, and they may have preventive and therapeutic effects in a number of pathologies associated with modern dietary habits and lifestyles. This book addresses various aspects of this issue, revitalizing the discussion and consolidating the latest research on nutritional and functional food and their effects in in-vitro, in-vivo and human clinical studies.

Often described as ‘nature’s perfect food’, perceptions of egg consumption and human health have evolved substantially over the past decades, in particular dietary guidelines no longer include a limit for dietary cholesterol and recommend eggs as part of healthy eating patterns. This book presents the opportunities for processing eggs to produce value-added food, nutritional, biomedical, functional food, and nutraceutical applications. It provides new evidence around egg consumption with respect to cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, weight management, mental development, eye, muscle, and ageing health. It also highlights the new discovery regarding egg bioactives that are relevant to anti-oxidants, anti-inflammation, cardiovascular and bone health, anti-microbial and anti-viral activities. Appealing to food scientists, food chemists, researchers in human nutrition specialising in eggs and dairy nutrition, and those involved in egg production, this book is reflecting the trends and innovations in this area of research.

Functional foods and nutraceuticals are food products that naturally offer or have been modified to offer additional health benefits beyond basic nutrition. As such products have surged in popularity in recent years, it is crucial that researchers and manufacturers understand the concepts underpinning functional foods and the opportunity they represent to improve human health, reduce healthcare costs, and support economic development worldwide. Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals: Bioactive Components, Formulations and Innovations presents a guide to functional foods from experienced professionals in key institutions around the world. The text provides background information on the health benefits, bioavailability, and safety measurements of functional foods and nutraceuticals. Subsequent chapters detail the bioactive components in functional foods responsible for these health benefits, as well as the different formulations of these products and recent innovations spurred by consumer demands. Authors emphasize product development for increased marketability, taking into account safety issues associated with functional food adulteration and solutions to be found in GMP adherence. Various food preservation methods aimed at enhancing the quality and shelf life of functional food are also highlighted. Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals: Bioactive Components, Formulations and Innovations is the first of its kind, designed to be useful to students, teachers, nutritionists, food scientists, food technologists and public health regulators alike.

Scientific advances in this field have not only given us a better understanding of what is an optimal diet, but has allowed food and nutraceutical companies to market products with specific health claims, fortify existing foods, and even create new foods designed for a particular health benefit. Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, Second Edition, compiles the latest data from authoritative, scientific sources. It provides hard evidence on the prophylactic and medicinal properties of many natural foods. This handbook reviews more than 200 nutraceutical compounds. Each chapter includes the chemical properties, biochemical activity, dietary sources, and evidentiary findings for each compound. New topics include the use of exopolysaccharides from lactic acid bacteria, protein as a functional ingredient for weight loss, and nutraceuticals to be used in the adjunctive treatment of depression. Two new chapters discuss recent evidence on oxidative stress and the antioxidant requirements of athletes as well as the use of nutraceuticals for inflammation. The scientific investigation of nutrition and lifestyle changes on the pain and debilitation of osteoarthritis is the subject of another new article. The book concludes with a look at future marketing opportunities paying particular attention to the alleviation of obesity. With contributions from a panel of leading international experts, Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, Second Edition, provides instant access to comprehensive, cutting edge data, making it possible for food scientists, nutritionists, and researchers to utilize this ever growing wealth of information.

"Functional food or medicinal food is any fresh or processed food claimed to have a health-promoting and/or disease-preventing property beyond the basic nutritional function of supplying nutrients, although there is no consensus on an exact definition of the term. This is an emerging field in food science, in which such foods are usually accompanied by health claims for marketing purposes, such as a company's ‘cereal is a significant source of fiber. Studies have shown that an increased amount of fiber in one's diet can decrease the risk of certain types of cancer in individuals.’ Functional foods are sometimes called nutraceuticals, a portmanteau of nutrition and pharmaceutical, and can include food that has been genetically modified. The general category includes processed food made from functional food ingredients, or fortified with health-promoting additives, like "vitamin-enriched" products, and also fresh foods (e.g., vegetables) that have specific claims attached. Fermented foods with live cultures are often also considered to be functional foods with probiotic benefits."

This new volume provides important information on potential applications and new developments in functional health foods and nutraceuticals. It looks at the health-promoting properties in functional foods and beverages as well as nutraceuticals. Some health issues that are considered in conjunction with these foods and nutraceuticals include oxidative stress, obesity, pharyngitis, low cognitive concentration, among others. Research topics include the antioxidant properties of certain products, the development of functional and medicinal beverages, nutraceuticals and functional foods for alternative therapies, and more.