Functional Lipids within the Global Functional Food

As a category, functional foods include

•

Conventional foods containing naturally occurring bioactive substances
(such as dietary fiber in wheat bran to promote digestive regularity or

-glucan in oat bran to lower blood cholesterol)

•

Foods that have been modified, by enrichment or other means, in terms
of the amount, type, or nature of their bioactive substances, example,
margarine that contains added phytosterol, an extract from plant sources
that is known to interfere with cholesterol absorption, thereby lowering
serum cholesterol levels

•

Synthesized food ingredients, such as some specialized carbohydrates
intended to feed microorganisms in the gut

1.2.1 U

NITED

TATES

The most commonly referenced definition for a functional food in the United States
is that used by the California-based

Nutrition Business Journal

(

NBJ

) [4].

NBJ

defines

a functional food as fortified with added or concentrated ingredients and/or marketed
to emphasize “functionality” to improve health or performance. Unlike Health
Canada’s definition,

NBJ

includes “substantially fortified,” “inherently functional,” and

“performance” foods within its definition.

1.2.2 J

APAN

Japan is the only country with a regulatory framework for functional foods. Foods
for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) are defined as those to which a functional
ingredient has been added for a specific health effect, designed to promote or
maintain good health. Under FOSHU such foods include those that contain func-
tional substances that affect the physiological function and biological activities of
the body; and those that claim if used in the daily diet, one can hope for a specified
health benefit. Under the legislation, such foods must be evaluated individually and
approved by the government. FOSHU can also be used for dietary supplements [5].

1.2.3 E

UROPE

As in North America, several definitions of functional foods are used throughout
the 15 countries of the European Union (EU). The most widely accepted definition
is “foods that by virtue of physiologically active food components provide health
benefits beyond basic nutrition” [6].

1.3 DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

1.3.1 U

NITED

TATES

In 1994, the DSHEA was passed in the United States as an amendment to the Federal
Food Drug and Cosmetic Act [7]. DSHEA regulates dietary supplements, which are
defined as “a product, other than tobacco, intended to supplement the diet that

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