Functional Foods of the East PDF

Preface

The food we eat provides us with the essential nutrients that contribute to our physiological and biological well-being. Over the past several decades, dramatic changes have been observed in the types of food that are available and consumed. These changes are a direct reflection of the application of scientific discoveries and technological innovations by the food industry. With the increase in diet-related chronic diseases in modern society, diet is now considered to be strongly associated with three major diseases, namely, cardiovascular (heart and artery) diseases, cancer, and obesity.

In recent years, a great deal of attention has been paid to anticarcinogenicity, antimutagenicity, and antioxidative and antiaging properties of certain foods, and nutritional studies have revealed their potential health significance. These studies have also provided insight into the relationship between diet and optimal health, particularly with respect to age-related degenerative disease risk reduction such as cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and stroke.

Given the extended life expectancy of the aging population in developed countries and the commensurate increase in healthcare costs associated with treating chronic diseases, it is very likely that in the future there will be more emphasis placed on preventative rather than prophylactic treatment of diseases. After reading reports and listening to discussions on the potential health benefits of functional foods, consumers around the world have heightened their interest in food selection and preparation as a means of protecting their health against diseases. These changes in the attitude of consumers, coupled with the continuous advances in food technology, have provided food companies with significant incentives to produce cuttingedge health-promoting foods and diets that address the needs of the increasingly health conscious consumers who are interested in self-administered health care. The Eastern tradition of using food as medicine is becoming more relevant and better accepted by people in the West.

Eastern countries are proud of their heritage and the ingenuity of their early scientific and cultural accomplishments. One of their most remarkable contributions to civilization undoubtedly has been the abundance of information and the detailed description of the uses of natural substances in treating illnesses. They have a long history of using plants and animal tissues to improve human physiology and health, maintain and improve health status, prevent diseases, help treat diseases, and facilitate rehabilitation.

"Health and Healing" foods have a long history in Eastern cultures, particularly in China, Japan, Korea, India, and Arab countries and Persia, where people believe that food and medicine come from the same source, are based on the same fundamental theories, and are equally important in maintaining and improving health status and preventing and curing diseases as well as facilitating rehabilitation. Many unique traditional functional foods were developed by combining food with herbal medicines. In China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, traditional herbal products are widely used as medicines in dietary supplements, including both daily foods (cereals, vegetables, and fruits) and functional foods, for replenishment and medical purposes. The concept is connected with immunopotentiation, the improvement of systemic circulation, disease prevention, and aging control. Either a single herb or multiple herbs may be used in formulating herbal foods, teas, wines, congees, and pills (or powders).

In the broad history of the East, many plants, such as medicinal herbs, have been used for thousands of years to maintain health and to treat diseases. Now, these same ancient remedies are experiencing renewed importance and should be reassessed in our modern age for possible use in the development of high-quality natural health products and dietary supplements for the twenty-first century.

The twenty-first century will be an era of new scientific horizons based on the twin forces of globalization and information-intensive industries. We are entering a period of unparalleled opportunities and intense competition. While the traditional Eastern functional foods steadily gain in popularity in the Western world, people around the globe are accepting the concept of food and medicine coming from the same source. Today more and more people believe that the traditional functional foods of the East can reduce disease risk, maintain health, and make their dreams of living a longer and healthier life come true. The long history of traditional functional foods, where herbal products are used as traditional medicines, and healthcare is based on natural products, has given a new worldwide meaning to functional foods. This in turn may generate opportunities for greater utilization of traditional functional foods of the East in the Western world.

The steady increase in consumer use and demand for functional foods and herbal medicines has prompted international health organizations and governmental agencies to publish guidelines for their proper use. Accordingly, the scientific community must apply modern technology to assure the efficacy and safety of these traditional remedies and to promote them as first-class dietary supplements and new medicines, through a concerted awareness campaign based on existing high-level scientific research and development in the world.

After the publication of our earlier book Asian Functional Foods in 2005, people from North America and Europe and elsewhere around the globe have become interested in the role that Asian functional foods might play in their own state of wellness and health. This current book provides complementary material to achieve this desired goal.

The contents of each chapter in this book focus on the traditional functional foods and ingredients as used in the Eastern countries. The functional properties of these foods are discussed in terms of their chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, and epidemiological and engineering principles. Some of the information in this book have not been previously disclosed. The information presented here will allow the Western world to better familiarize itself with the concepts and beliefs associated with traditional functional foods that have sustained the people of the East. Increased knowledge in this area will promote the merger of traditional Eastern concepts and beliefs on functional foods with the advanced science and technologies of the West.

The contributing authors are internationally renowned experts in this area and we are grateful to them for their thoughtful contributions. We trust that this book provides food scientists and technologists, nutritionists, biochemists, engineers, and entrepreneurs worldwide with recent advances in the field and an update to the existing knowledge. This book would also serve as a useful research tool for scientists of diverse backgrounds including biologists, biochemists, chemists, dieticians, food scientists, and nutritionists, medical doctors and pharmacologists from universities, research institutes, and food industries. It will further stimulate research and development in this emerging field, and provide consumers with information about products that could reduce disease risk and assist them in maintaining a healthier life style. We believe the scientific community will benefit from the overall summary of each area presented.