Meal therapy
In the fast-growing health food market, the role of
biotechnology is hard to miss, says Dr A Sivakumar
Health food can be considered to be
those whole, fortified, enriched or
enhanced food that provide health
benefits beyond the provision of essential
nutrients (for example, vitamins and
minerals), when they are consumed at
efficacious levels as part of a varied diet on
a regular basis.
In the Indian context, Spirulina is a wellknown
health food. Spirulina is a microscopic
filamentous alga that is rich in proteins,
vitamins, essential amino acids, minerals and
essential fatty acids like gamma-linolenic acid
(GLA). It is produced commercially and sold
as a food supplement in health food stores
around the world. Several therapeutic effects
ranging from reduction of cholesterol and
cancer, to enhancing the immune system,
increasing intestinal lactobacilli, reducing
nephrotoxicity by heavy metals and drugs and
radiation protection are related to this
product. Linking the consumption of health
food or food ingredients with health claims
ought to be based on sound scientific
evidence, with the ‘gold standard’ being
replicated, randomised, placebo-controlled,
intervention trials in human subjects.
However, today not all food on the market
that claim to be health food are supported by
enough solid data to merit such declarations.
Every customer should judge whether it is
health food or not, according to labelling of
ingredients and additives in the product. For
example, there are candies and drinks that
contain vitamin C and jellies and cookies
substituted for food including much nutrition
for one day. Though they include some kind
of ingredients, which are good for health, they
are sold by the name of simply confectionery
or soft drink. Some of them are labelled as
‘nutrition included food’. 'Food for ill persons'
include combination food such as low sodium
food (such as salt-reduced miso, salt-reduced
soya sauce), low calorie food (diet sweetener,
etc.,) food for an allergic disease (food
excluding allergen) and others for adjusting
salt-reduced food or for adjusting diabetes are
designated. 'Food for the elderly' consider
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