Health Benefits of Functional Foods

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.

"Biomedical Applications of Black Pepper, the King of Spices: A Review"

“…It has been demonstrated to be an excellent variety of bioactive compounds utilised in conventional medicinal therapy and reveal excellent effects; therefore, they are suggested in clinical therapies [18]. Numerous researchers identified that black pepper contained several phytochemical compounds like alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, phenols, terpenes, tannins, and amides [1,19] that have numerous benefits. Black pepper is a good source of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, and secondary metabolites [20].…”

“…Many researchers reported that black pepper showed antidiarrheal properties. Additionally, black pepper showed antimicrobial properties against certain microbes that cause diarrhoea (1). Other studies indicate its tremendous effectiveness in preventing diarrhoea [52].…”

“…Spices are excellent natural herbal food additives for treatment of numerous diseases because of their various medicinal characteristics and that too without any side effects. Ayurveda says that spices maintain a proper pH balance in the body, and they possess excellent antimicrobial properties and prolong food storage [1]. Different spices add different flavour, colour, and aroma to the food items and enhance their taste.…”

“…In fact, these spices also help to protect the spleen and pancreas, protect from cough, sneezing, and sore throat, and improve digestion. Spices contains essential nutrients, minerals, and phytochemicals including phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolic and antioxidant [1,2]. Piper nigrum (black pepper) is derived from Sanskrit word of "long pepper" or "pippali".…”

Managing Circularity of Packaging for Food Products – Carbon Footprint Assessment of Innovative Coated Paper Packaging

“…Recently, also due to the impact of Covid-19, the importance of healthy and rational eating is growing and the choice of food is determined by the health of consumers, and therefore it is possible to consider the aspect of health and a healthy lifestyle as a key driving force of the food market (Huang et al, 2022;Irene Goetzke & Spiller, 2014;Karpyn et al, 2020;Predanócyová et al, 2022). An important part of a healthy diet is the consumption of functional foods (Horská et al, 2022;John & Singla, 2021;Jurek, 2022). The market for functional foods is growing due to the rapid sharing of information in the media, increasing consumer awareness of the consumption of healthy and nutritious foods, as well as consumer demand for new foods with a beneficial effect on health (Guldas et al, 2022).…”