Bahamas Anti-Aging Medical Institute

Astonishingly, it’s only in the past 20 years or so that serious health researchers began paying close attention to how nutrition can affect human health – before that time we thought of “nutrients” as simply the “building blocks” out of which Nature constructed our bodies.

Today’s nutritional scientists number in their ranks some of the brightest and most innovative thinkers in the world of biology and medicine. While we still recognize the value of each of the three main constituents of food – proteins, carbohydrates, and fats – as both structural building blocks and sources of energy, we’ve also developed a much more detailed and nuanced view of nutrition as a fundamental ingredient in overall health and wellness. Scientists at the cutting edge of this field today speak of functional foods, namely, foods that are essential to our bodies (and our minds) as much for their impact on specific biochemical processes as for our basic nutrition ^1,2. Here are just a few of the myriad new categories of functional foods and food constituents that we now recognize are essential for optimum nutrition:

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: these special forms of fat, naturally abundant in certain fishes, have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and may contribute to reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease, improved lipid profiles, lower rates of certain cancers, better resistance to infection, and prevention of age-related eye diseases ^3-6. They also have an increasingly clear role in early brain development as well as later on in controlling behavior problems; omega-3’s may even be effective in treatment of depression, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses ^7-9.
• Polyphenols: these diverse and ubiquitous molecules are natural components of the seeds and skins of many fruits and vegetables; their chief merit was once thought to lie only in their powerful antioxidant capabilities. Since most age-related diseases ultimately have their cause in tissue oxidation and resulting inflammation and cell damage, that feature alone made polyphenols valuable ^10,11. But we’re now learning that polyphenols also offer many more specific benefits ¹². Some, like curcumin (a spice derivative), powerfully curtail inflammation, thereby speeding tissue healing and likely preventing development of certain cancers ¹³. Others, such as resveratrol (found in red wine) have dramatic effects on lipid profiles and reduction of cardiovascular risk factors ^14-16; still others, such as the compound EGCG found in green tea, can actually work as anti-anxiety agents. Most of the polyphenols currently known to have health benefits are available as supplements ¹⁷.
• Fiber: modern highly-processed diets contain little of the mysterious material called fiber. The term “fiber” actually refers to a group of substances that are poorly-absorbed from the human intestinal tract. But fiber is far from inert! It holds water, adding to the bulk and frequency of bowel movements ¹⁸, which in turn enables the large intestine to rid itself of the many toxins that accumulate from diet and natural biological processes – and that can ultimately cause colon cancer, a leading cause of death in older adults. High fiber diets reduce dangerous oxidation in the colon, helping reduce inflammation and slowing cancer development t¹⁹. Fiber is also broken down by bacteria in the colon to form a material called butyrate, which provides essential nutrition to intestinal cells and may itself help reduce inflammation and hence colon cancer ^20,21. Large-scale human studies bear out the value of a high-fiber diet in reducing the risk of colon cancer ^22-24.

The list of functional foods and individual nutrients with specific health-promoting and disease-preventing properties goes on and on – indeed, it is growing daily. Of course, optimum nutrition is also about knowing which foods not to eat (or more realistically, to eat in moderation) – these include processed foods, grilled meats, and foods with large amounts of simple sugars. This web site will soon have many more articles on optimizing nutrition through the use of functional foods and powerful, effective dietary supplements. You can get some idea of just how much science is already out there by visiting Life Extension Foundation’s home page at http://www.lef.org/.

References

(1) Jew S, Vanstone CA, Antoine JM, Jones PJ. Generic and product-specific health claim processes for functional foods across global jurisdictions. J Nutr. 2008;138:1228S-1236S.

(2) Yang Y. Scientific substantiation of functional food health claims in China. J Nutr. 2008;138:1199S-1205S.

(3) Chong EW, Kreis AJ, Wong TY, Simpson JA, Guymer RH. Dietary omega-3 fatty acid and fish intake in the primary prevention of age-related macular degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126:826-833.

(4) Stark AH, Crawford MA, Reifen R. Update on alpha-linolenic acid. Nutr Rev. 2008;66:326-332.

(5) Yanagita T, Nagao K. Functional lipids and the prevention of the metabolic syndrome. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:189-91.:189-191.

(6) Simopoulos AP. The omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio, genetic variation, and cardiovascular disease. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:131-4.:131-134.

(7) Peet M. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the treatment of schizophrenia. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2008;45:19-25.

(8) Dangour AD, Uauy R. N-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids for optimal function during brain development and ageing. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:185-8.:185-188.

(9) Su KP. Mind-body interface: the role of n-3 fatty acids in psychoneuroimmunology, somatic presentation, and medical illness comorbidity of depression. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:151-7.:151-157.

(10) Weaver CM, Barnes S, Wyss JM et al. Botanicals for age-related diseases: from field to practice. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87:493S-497S.

(11) Shukitt-Hale B, Lau FC, Joseph JA. Berry fruit supplementation and the aging brain. J Agric Food Chem. 2008;56:636-641.

(12) Khan GN, Merajver SD. Modulation of angiogenesis for cancer prevention: strategies based on antioxidants and copper deficiency. Curr Pharm Des. 2007;13:3584-3590.

(13) Strimpakos AS, Sharma RA. Curcumin: preventive and therapeutic properties in laboratory studies and clinical trials. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2008;10:511-545.

(14) Pirola L, Frojdo S. Resveratrol: one molecule, many targets. IUBMB Life. 2008;60:323-332.

(15) Baxter RA. Anti-aging properties of resveratrol: review and report of a potent new antioxidant skin care formulation. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2008;7:2-7.

(16) Das S, Das DK. Resveratrol: a therapeutic promise for cardiovascular diseases. Recent Patents Cardiovasc Drug Discov. 2007;2:133-138.

(17) Vignes M, Maurice T, Lante F et al. Anxiolytic properties of green tea polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Brain Res. 2006;1110:102-115.

(18) Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Popovich DG et al. Effect of a very-high-fiber vegetable, fruit, and nut diet on serum lipids and colonic function. Metabolism. 2001;50:494-503.

(19) Erhardt JG, Lim SS, Bode JC, Bode C. A diet rich in fat and poor in dietary fiber increases the in vitro formation of reactive oxygen species in human feces. J Nutr. 1997;127:706-709.

(20) Bordonaro M, Lazarova DL, Sartorelli AC. Butyrate and Wnt signaling: a possible solution to the puzzle of dietary fiber and colon cancer risk? Cell Cycle. 2008;7:1178-1183.

(21) Graf E, Eaton JW. Suppression of colonic cancer by dietary phytic acid. Nutr Cancer. 1993;19:11-19.

(22) Gonzalez CA, Navarro C, Martinez C et al. [The European prospective investigation about cancer and nutrition (EPIC)]. Rev Esp Salud Publica. 2004;78:167-176.

(23) Hardman WE, Cameron IL, Beer WH, Speeg KV, Kadakia SC, Lang KA. Transforming growth factor alpha distribution in rectal crypts as a biomarker of decreased colon cancer risk in patients consuming cellulose. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1997;6:633-637.

(24) Martinez ME. Primary prevention of colorectal cancer: lifestyle, nutrition, exercise. Recent Results Cancer Res. 2005;166:177-211.:177-211.