Health Benefits of Functional Foods
Joanna Michalina Jurek
Abstract
Functional foods, also so-called supefoods being rich sources of many bioactive with attributed health-promoting properties, play important roles in disease prevention and may support treatments applied in certain chronic conditions and metabolic disturbances. To date, epidemiological evidence obtained from observational studies and clinical trials demonstrated that the regular consumption of nutrient-rich foods, particularly those of plant origin can increase vitality, bring benefits for overall health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. These benefits are predominantly linked to improved metabolic health, reduced inflammation, and body weight management. Furthermore, there is also increasing evidence that some of those products, like fermented foods, berry and tea beverages may also support mental health if consumed as part of a daily diet. Finally, some of the dietary superfoods are also recognized by cosmetic industries, which more often incorporate bioactive from these foods into cosmetic formulations or recommend dietary supplementation to improve skin condition.