“Raw” food product launches are gaining momentum worldwide, whereby ingredients contained within are not processed and remain intact for superior nutrition benefits. The “superfood” notion also continues to be used by many food and beverage companies to convey foods which have high phytonutrient content and that may confer health benefits, such as cancer risk reduction.
Already one of the world’s most popular fruits, mangos might also be one of the healthiest. New research, presented at the FASEB Experimental Biology 2012 meeting, not only suggests people who eat mangos have a better diet, but note that the fruit also contains a substance that could have an effect on breast cancer cell proliferation.
The term “Superfood” has been coined to convey foods which have a high phytonutrient content and may confer health benefits, such as cancer risk reduction. Foods with inherently high nutrition benefits, such as acai, blueberries, broccoli and chia, are viewed by consumers as natural remedies to fight disease.
Glutathione is an endogenously produced compound that protects the body against the bombardment of free radicals. Lifestyle choices may put the population at risk for glutathione deficiency.
Black raspberries are highly effective in preventing colorectal tumors in two mouse models of the disease, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago study.
Research supports new health advantages for well-established vitamins, minerals, pre- and probiotics, and omega fatty acids. Such health conditions range from weight management and eye health to cognition and cancer risk reduction.
As marketers of conventional foods, functional foods and dietary supplements pore over data looking for new product opportunities that answer consumer needs, foods and beverages that address health issues, often specific health conditions, come to the forefront.