Just How 'Functional' Are Functional Foods and Beverages?
Functional foods and beverages — sometimes called nutraceuticals or superfoods — contain components that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition, such as stronger immunity, better cognition, slowed aging and reduced risk for chronic diseases.
Functional foods include whole and minimally processed foods (e.g., fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains); nutrient-fortified and enriched foods (e.g., calcium-fortified juices and B vitamin-enriched breads); and specially formulated foods (e.g., nutrition bars with added inulin, a prebiotic fiber).
Staying healthy is the prime motivator for consumers who are interested in functional foods. Women and older people tend to be more interested in functional foods and willing to compromise on taste to receive potential health benefits.
Do Functional Foods and Beverages Deliver What They Claim?
In many cases, yes, although shoppers may need help to find functional attributes that are backed by science versus those with less validity. FDA health claims that appear on some food labels are one way to identify valid claims.
FDA doesn’t have a legal definition for functional foods, but it does regulate them and any label claims they make, including health claims.
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According to FDA, health claims describe a relationship between a food, food component or dietary supplement ingredient, and reduced risk of a disease or health-related condition. Two types of FDA-approved health claims appear on labels: authorized and qualified.
Authorized health claims are supported by significant scientific agreement and with a high level of confidence in the validity of the relationship between the food and disease reduction.
An example of an authorized health claim is: “Three grams of soluble fiber from oatmeal daily in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. This cereal has 2 grams per serving.” Other examples describe the relationships between calcium and vitamin D and reduced risk for osteoporosis, saturated fat and cholesterol and reduced risk for coronary heart disease, and fiber-containing grains, fruits and vegetables and reduced risk for cancer.
Qualified health claims are supported by scientific evidence, but they don’t meet the more rigorous significant scientific agreement standard required for an authorized health claim. Qualified health claims must include a disclaimer or other qualifying language indicating the level of scientific evidence supporting the claim.
An example of a qualified health claim is “Eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (three servings) per week, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to limited scientific evidence.” Other examples describe the relationships between nuts and reduced risk for heart disease, whole grains and reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, and green tea and reduced risk for breast or prostate cancer. (Visit fda.gov to see all approved and qualified health claims.)
Retail Dietitians Give Shoppers the Big Picture
Functional foods that qualify for a health claim don’t always include it on the label, and many — like fresh produce — don’t have labels at all.
Retail dietitians can educate shoppers about the benefits of functional foods and beverages found throughout the aisles, and the degree of science behind them. Most important, dietitians can help shoppers make personalized choices for including functional foods as just one part of a healthy lifestyle.
