Functional Foods for Obesity Management

Abstract

Obesity is a global problem and numbers are rising at a fast pace in developing countries and it becomes a major public health concern. Economic costs associated with obesity are high and increasing as the rate of obesity. Obesity leads to its co-morbidities; namely diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, stroke and inflammatory diseases. Changes in lifestyle along with modifications to the diet are important in the management of obesity. Certain dietary components and foods have the ability to induce thermogenesis and modify the trafficking of nutrients in the body. Positive effects in managing obesity by natural components, and selected foods have drawn attention due to the potential side effects of obesity drugs. The food industry has developed low-density foods to reduce energy intake. Now focus has been geared towards the development of foods that possess more than one mechanism to alter the progression of obesity. In this review, selected foods and their components with potential anti-obesity properties are discussed.

Are Functional Foods Marketed in Honduras a Healthy Option?

“…21% of products were of Costa Rican origin and 13% of Mexican origin; 16% were of Central American origin and 2% of these of Honduran origin. PFF categories were further characterized according to Sunkara and Verghese's study [3], based on the products base ingredient. Table 2 presents how Table 1.…”

“…The products were grouped into nine categories dictated by the PAHO nutrient profile model [14], (cheeses, cookies, sweetened juices, sweetened breakfast cereals, cereal bars, prepared meats, baked products, sweetened and flavored yogurts and seasonings). The characterization was carried out according to the study by Sunkara and Verghese [3], grouping these categories according to their basic ingredient in the following groups: functional dairy products, functional carbohydrate-based products, functional beverages, functional fat based products and functional protein-based products.…”

“…For this reason, it has been necessary to identify strategies to reduce the consumption of these critical nutrients, preventing diseases through food. Hence, the food industry has proposed "functional foods" as a vehicle to improve the health of the communities [1] [3].…”

“…Worldwide, there is no standardized definition of functional foods. Different organizations and health institutions such as the International Food Information Council (IFIC), Codex Alimentarius and the Expert Panel Report of the Institute of Food Technology (IFT) differ very little in their definitions, expressing the basic idea that food is functional when in addition to meeting nutritional needs, it offers other beneficial health properties [3] [11] [12]. These can be natural or processed, either because a certain substance has been removed to produce a health benefit, such as reducing sugar and sodium, or due to adding a food component that has scientific evidence of producing a beneficial effect on health when consumed in normal amounts within the regular diet [1] [11].…”

Black Garlic and Its Therapeutic Benefits

“…Note that several functional foods such as γ-oryzanol, butyric acid, legumes, bromelain, peas, lentil, fabas beans, conjugated linoleic acid, diacylglycerols, purified black raspberries, apples, bilberries, sea buckthorn, etc. have been indicated as preventing and/or treating obesity agents via several mechanisms including the induction of satiation, decreasing of appetite, regulation of lipid metabolism, and thermogenesis [21]. Among them, black garlic is known as a prominent lipid and weight-lowering ingredient.…”