The Canadian healthcare system needs to accelerate disease prevention by introducing functional foods to lower early risk factors, argued one of the speakers at a recent briefing at Ryerson University.
Diet is now implicated in the majority of chronic diseases in Canada, but functional and fortified foods could help reduce both the prevalence of and the cost of treatment for these diseases, said Dr Bruce Holub, Professor at the Department of Human Biology & Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph.
The introduction of functional foodswith appropriate health claims for the prevention of chronic disease would generate an estimated saving of at least $20 billion a year in direct healthcare expenditures. A further $10 billion in savings would be realized whenfunctional foods are applied to disease management applications, argued Dr Holub.
Examples included the use of omega-3 enriched fish oil, which can reduce moderately elevated blood triglycerides in young people. "For a few pennies a day and with no dramatic dietary changes", this would reduce triglyceride levels and the high occurrence of premature heart disease in people in their late 40s and early 50s, he said.
In May, US officials urged the Departments of Health and Human Services and USDA to revise dietary guidelines to reflect information that omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Total health expenditures in Canada now surpass $100 billion annually, and diet is implicated in up to half of all cardiovascular disorders, diabetesand cancers, approximately 20 per cent of osteoporosis, and numerous other chronic conditions. Dietary components are also a key factor in the progression of disease, associated problems and mortality.
"Functional foods need to become the 'pharmacy' for disease preventionand management. Government leadership in launchingefficacious functional foods with nutraceutical components into our healthcare system is desperately needed in Canada as soon as possible," concluded Holub.
Dr Loretta DiFrancesco, a consultant on nutrition-related scientific and regulatory issues, added that nutrition concerns areshifting from nutrient deficiencies to chronic disease prevention. "The role of folate in preventing neural tube defects is well established but otherareas, such as the role of antioxidants in reducing coronary heart disease,vitamin A in breast and bladder cancer, and vitamin K in osteoporosis fracturerisk, are new and will require further study and clinical trials," she said.
Dr Peter Jones, professor at McGill University's School of Dietetics andHuman Nutrition, identified some of the functional foods under development -soy protein, plant sterols, probiotics and prebiotics, policosanal and lutein.
"We need to continue to study and when the standards of evidence are thereallow them to penetrate the market in order to promote health and wellness andquality of life for Canadians," he said.
Food fortification is currently strictly limited in Canada but a new policy under review could expand the categories of foods allowed to be fortified.