Introduction and conference goals

One of the most fascinating and rapidly emerging ideas in nutrition is that selected foods and their components can improve physical or mental performance or decrease disease risk. This widespread belief in the merits of so-called functional foods and related components has captured the interest and imagination not only of scientists but also of consumers (1, 2). In many ways, consumers are responsible for this phenomenon because they want to believe that foods are magical elixirs. Belief in the healing powers of foods is not a new concept, having been a widely held view for generations. Hippocrates may not have started this concept, but he certainly did little to suppress it by proclaiming almost 2500 y ago, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” (3). Today, scientists are increasingly asked to clarify the exact role that foods play in promoting health and improving quality of life. Unraveling these mysteries, however, is no easy task. Thus, this conference was developed to explore the potential of various foods and food components to optimize health and the aging process. The specific objectives of this conference were to 1) define the physiologic effects of selected nutrients and substances considered to be “functional” food components on aspects of health and the aging process, 2) identify limitations in our knowledge of the relation of these food components to health and the aging process, 3) identify appropriate biomarkers for evaluating the effects of these food components, and 4) discuss challenges in developing and making available to consumers appropriately researched and evaluated products in the context of current government regulations. Much of the interest in functional foods stems from epidemiologic evidence that enhanced fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a reduction in disease risk (4, 5). Several of the individual foods and components potentially responsible for these observations, as well as others such as soy, were discussed during this conference. Discussions emphasized the need to consider the totality of information about the merits or risks of exaggerated intakes of the foods and food components being reviewed. Evaluations considered a variety of issues, including the consistency of data presented (whether generated from epidemiologic investigations, the use of model systems, or intervention studies), whether a biological basis for the response exists in order in order to rule out chance relations, and whether either the efficacy of the response or the risks associated with it might be influenced by factors such as genetic heritage or accompanying components of the diet. Other presentations included overviews of how functional foods are viewed and classified in different parts of the world. Related discussions included debates on the definition of functional foods and on the merits and limitations of using strict definitions. Prebiotics and probiotics were discussed relative to their clinical response and whether they meet the definition of a functional food. The availability and use of biomarkers to predict the benefits or risks accompanying efficacious intakes of these foods and food components were discussed throughout the conference, most specifically through a presentation on use of T cell function to evaluate effects of ingested food components considered functional. The conference concluded with presentations and discussions on some of the government and regulatory perspectives on how these foods and components should be evaluated and their value or risks communicated. Through presentations and targeted discussions, the participants in this conference worked hard to shed light on the many issues involved in recognizing, scientifically studying, and disseminating knowledge about the health benefits of functional foods and components. We sincerely hope you will enjoy reading the information provided in this supplement and will benefit from it. Finally, we thank Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, for its unyielding commitment to assisting in deciphering some of the imponderables. This 17th Ross Conference on Medical Issues is a testament to the longstanding devotion of the Ross Products Division to improving the health and well-being of all people through nutrition.