Emerging Trends in Foods and Nutrition Functional Foods and Nutrigenomics

Nutrition Professionals in Industry/Business Areas of employment Food industry Companies manufacturing food products, supplements, etc. Activities Dietetics Sales Marketing Communications

Functional Foods

Antioxidants & Phytochemicals

Functional Foods Backgrounder Factsheet http://ific.org/nutrition/functional/

Functional Foods Naturally occurring food components providing demonstrated physiological benefits or that reduce the risk of chronic disease Beyond basic nutrition – health benefits Functional foods – whole food Nutraceuticals – isolate component of food sold in dosage form 1. Whole foods, fortified, enriched or enhanced foods -- with potential benefit to health of consumer -- phytochemicals/zoochemicals -- plant/animal constituents NOT nutrients -- nutraceuticals, designer foods, etc. -- biotechnology products NOVEL FOODS -- “a substance, including a microorganism, that does not have a history of safe use as a food” 2. Whole foods -- F/V Modified foods -- fortified with phytochemicals or botanicals -- e.g., n-3 eggs, green tea + ginseng, yogurt + bifidus Enhanced foods -- enhanced level of specific nutrient or food componeent -- e.g., OJ + Ca Food Marketed as Supplement -- OJ + Ca (due to regs) 3. Aging population, increasing health care costs (looking for prevention), increased self-care, advancing scientific knowledge re: diet and disease, changes to food regulations, food and pharmaceutical industry response to growing sales of dietary supplements

Functional Foods Conventional or Whole food example Blueberries Ranked #1 in antioxidant activity Anthocyanin – the pigment that makes blueberries blue Slow age related loss Heart health Urinary tract health Nutrition AKA Conventional Foods others? – V/F – berries, kale, tomatoes, citrus, chocolate, tree nuts, fermented dairy products (probiotics), • Improve short term memory loss • Ameliorate age-related declines in neural and cognitive function • Protect against macular degeneration of the retina • Promote urinary tract health • Act as a potent anti-inflamatory agent and COX-2 inhibitor* • Improve glucose metabolism through the activity of chologenic acid • Reduce the risk of some cancers

Functional Foods Added food component – Modified Foods Ocean Nutrition Canada Omega-3 milk – Farmer’s Dairy Prenatal brain development Children’s brain development Heart disease prevention Promotion of registered dietitian OJ w/ Ca, Omega-3; folate in grains; energy-promoting ingredients in beverages (guarnana, taurine, ginseng); botanicals (herbal) additions to snacks

Pre- and Pro-biotics Influence intestinal microbes Prebiotics Refers to substrate Inulin – from chicory root Oligofructose (FOS) Probiotics Refers to beneficial bacteria Bifidobacteria Lactobacilli Acidophilus

Possible Practical Applications of Probiotic Agents Management of pediatric diarrheal disease After antibiotic use Inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)

Future of Prebiotics & Probiotics Need to clarify research findings for consistent professional use of probiotics Use of probiotic species & specific strains Dosages & forms for use Safety of products Shelf life of products Prebiotic ‘fibres’ (e.g., inulin) Poorly understood fermentation profiles & dosages Douglas, & Sanders, 2008 Inulin – from chicory root

Functional Foods Lead to claims on food labeling Qualified health claims “may” contribute to health situation Health claims Confirmed relationship between food constituents & disease risk or health condition Dietary guidance claims Health benefits of broad categories of foods E.g., whole grains, V/F Structure & Function claims Food constituent effect on normal structure & function of body

Dietitian’s Attitudes Survey of Canadian dietitians, 2008 60% respondents supported health claims on labels BUT only with adequate scientific support AND with government regulation Majority felt dietitians needed to become knowledgeable concerning functional foods & nutriceuticals Sheeshka, & LaCroix, 2008

Functional Foods Why are functional food products expected to continue to grow in the coming years? Should supplements of functional food components be expected to give similar results? What is the safe level of intake for functional foods? 1. Aging population, increasing health care costs (looking for prevention), increased self-care, advancing scientific knowledge re: diet and disease, changes to food regulations, food and pharmaceutical industry response to growing sales of dietary supplements growing consumer understanding of diet/disease links, aging populations, rising health care costs, and advances in food technology and nutrition 2. extracted, dried and compacted into pill – likely not active. Also what if works in conjunction with other food components 3. Not yet determined – need more clinical trials to establish these levels

Nutrition Professional Role & Responsibilities in Functional Foods Nutrition professionals should respond by . . . ? How does this suggested approach differ philosophically from traditional nutrition practice? Awareness increasing -- information coming from media Research, expertise to food industry, education of industry, public, health care workers, regulatory standards i.e. labeling and safety, media resource 2. -- evaluation and implementation of research information -- translate scientific info into practical info -- advising consumers on intake levels -- participating in research -- expertise to food industry on product development -- education of health care providers, policy makers, food industry -- collaborate on regulation development -- act as resource for the media -- develop meal plans/prescribe dtry changes to optimize fn’l food intake 3. Shift from traditional nt education approach focussed on limiting intake of foods high in “less healthy” components -- food can be health promoting beyond its traditional nutritional value

Nutrigenomics

Definitions Nutritional genomics Nutrigenomics Is the field of study Concerned with the environmental influence on gene expression

Nutrigenomics Working towards dietary strategies to prevent and treat chronic disease How bioactive components affect genes, proteins & metabolites

Fundamental Principles Dietary components (bioactive molecules) that control gene function Individual genetic makeup and nutrient requirements Nutrition and lifestyle manipulated according to genes Diet responsive genes and chronic disease Individualized dietary intervention Dietary components are more than nutrients they are bioactive components that control gene function Each person has own genetic makeup and nutrient requirements Nutrition status and lifestyle should be manipulated according to genes Diet responsive genes and their variants are playing major role in onset, incidence, progression and severity of chronic diseases Individualized dietary intervention based on knowledge of nutritional requirements, nutritional status and genotype can be developed to prevent, mitigate or cure chronic disease

Initiators Human genome project Nutrients are potent dietary signals influencing the metabolic programming of cells Hereditary factors can predispose complex chronic disease Information collected from completion of human genome project

Areas of potential benefit Chronic inflammation e.g, Catechins (tea), curcumin (turmeric), resveratrol (grapes), lactones (chicory) Cardiovascular disease Osteoporosis

PERIOD2 gene variants PER2 linked to abdominal obesity People with minor variant significantly more likely than non-carriers to: withdrawal from wt-loss treatment program experience stress with dieting display extreme snacking behavior eat when bored skip breakfast Shows need for personalized programs based on genetic testing and behavioral therapy Garaulet, et al., 2010 Study tested link between polymorphisms in the circadian clock-related gene PERIOD2 AND attrition in patients prone to withdraw from behavioral wt-loss pgms using the Mediterranean diet People with a minor allele were significantly more likely to withdraw than those who successfully completed treatment Minor allele carriers (cf’d with non-carriers) had greater probability of dropping out displaying extreme snacking experiencing stress with dieting eating when bored skipping b’fast Garaulet, Corbalan-Tutau, Madrid, Baraza, Parnell, Lee and Ordovas. (2010). PERIOD2 Variants are associated with abdominal obesity, psycho-behavioral factors, and attrition in the dietary treament of obesity. JADA, 110(6), 917-921.

Telomere length & multivitamin use Telomere – terminal section of chromosome involved in replication and stability Shorten with repeated replications, so may be a marker of biological aging Antioxidant vitamins & minerals may affect length Recent large study (Sisters Study) showed daily multivitamin users had on average 51% longer telomeres (~9.8 years age-related loss) Only vit C & E from food were related to telomere length Preliminary findings Xu, et al., Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2009; 89, 1857-1863

Why is this important? Emerging as key area in nutrition practice Potential to enhance effectiveness of practice Opportunities to grow over next 5-10 years Enhances ability to make diet & lifestyle choices to improve health & reduce disease risk Nutrition professionals need to Keep up with science in area Use evidence to develop products & services Nutritional genomics will have imacts throughout society -- medicine, agriculture, dietary habits, public policies

The Future Very new science Personalized dietary advice or product development premature at this point Positive opinion by public Many complex mechanisms to understand first e.g., how individual genes interact with each other Lifelong approach to learning essential to be up to date NOTE: -- 2/3 Americans surveyed expressed favourable opinion toward idea of using genetic info to develop personalized Nt recommendations -- 70% interested in learning more about using genetic information to develop Nt recommendations aimed at reducing disease or optimizing health

Challenges Health professionals & public not prepared to effectively integrate research into practice Lack of knowledge & experts How to fit into already crowded curricula at undergrad level Genetic variations & links to health must be known Need valid, reliable genetic testing assays Testing to occur in credentialed labs Need to address ethical concerns over misuse From: ADA HOD (House of Delegates) Fact Sheet on Nutritional Genomics