Why should we use functional foods? What are the benefits of taking functional foods?

Functional foods are NOT drugs, but they are a product line that is "preferred" by patients no less than drugs. Why should we use functional foods? What are the benefits of taking functional foods? Why have these products become so popular?

The following numbers will help you demonstrate how great the demand for dietary supplements is today:

According to a report by Precedence Research in late 2020, the dietary supplement market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% during the period 2020 - 2027. The global dietary supplement market size is expected to reach US$309.00 billion by 2027.

I. What are functional foods?

Functional foods are products with related functions, supporting the treatment of diseases, supporting medicine or nutrition, improving health during treatment. This product is NOT a medicine but is prepared in many forms similar to functional foods. such as:

• Capsules: Hard capsules, soft capsules
• Tablets
• Rice – flour
• Oral solution

While the ingredients of medicine contain active ingredients that help treat diseases, the ingredients of functional foods contain a large amount of herbs, vitamins, extracts, vitamins... to help strengthen the body and prevent diseases.

II. Why should we use functional foods? The role of functional foods!

Why should we use functional foods? The biggest and most basic reason is because we can prevent or reduce the symptoms of diseases when using drugs to treat or improve our health. These are benefits that drugs cannot bring. For example:

• Fish oil, gac oil supplement Vitamin A
• Use yeast to aid digestion
• Using seaweed to prevent goiter

…

Experts also give 3 great benefits of using this product line!

1. Functional foods help prevent diseases

As mentioned above, researchers have discovered many natural ingredients that can help prevent diseases. They will be added to the ingredients of dietary supplements, so that this product also has the ability to prevent diseases.

→ Product line helps detoxify the liver, helps prevent cirrhosis and hepatitis

→ The product helps prevent complications of diabetes, stroke...

→ Product line helps improve cardiovascular health, brain function...

→ Low calorie product line for people with obesity, diabetes...

2. Prevent nutritional deficiencies with dietary supplements

In addition to helping prevent disease, functional foods are also used to supplement nutrients for the body, especially for people who:

• Daily diet does not provide enough nutrients the body needs
• Cannot absorb nutrients from regular food
• Have some diseases and need extra nutrients

….

This product line is often referred to as a regular functional food line (food supplement) and can replace a snack in some cases.

3. Why should we use functional foods? – They help support the treatment of diseases!

Dietary supplements can be used with medication to reduce the symptoms of illness! This is one of the important reasons why many people use dietary supplements. However, in this case, patients need to take them under the guidance of a doctor. In fact, there are many product lines that when used with medication can reduce the effectiveness of the medication. 

III. Popular functional foods

What types of functional foods are there? How are functional foods classified? → We can have many ways to classify this product line, such as:

1. Classification of functional foods by ingredients

Based on the main ingredients of the product, we can classify functional foods into 7 main groups:

• Vitamin Supplement
• Mineral Supplement
• Protein and amino acid supplements
• Fatty Acid Supplement
• Probiotic Supplements
• Dietary supplements for athletes
• Group of products extracted and concentrated from nature: Extracted from medicinal plants and herbs

In fact, the group of products supplementing Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, Fatty Acids... are classified into the group of supplement products - a "branch" of the group of functional foods.

2. Classification based on user objects

With this classification, we can divide according to:

→ Gender:  Good functional foods for women, good functional foods for men.

→ Age: Product line specifically for children, the elderly...

→ Disease characteristics: People with stunted growth, poor digestion, patients with liver problems, circulatory system...

→ Purpose of use: Supplement nutrients, improve health, prevent diseases, support disease treatment

Why should we use functional foods? And why is this product line so popular? Has the information in this article helped you answer some of your questions?

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