They're the hottest trend in nutrition' edibles engineered to improve your health. But here's why most aren't worth buying
Food used to be uncomplicated: If it tasted good, filled you up, and didn't stain your shirt too badly, you were satisfied. But there's a new wave of edibles in the supermarket that seem better suited to your medicine cabinet than to your refrigerator. They're called functional foods, and they contain extra ingredients supposedly beneficial to your health.
Sometimes the specific health claim is on the label. One fruit drink with ginseng, guarana, and Ginkgo biloba says these herbs "provide the human body with a natural energy boost." But more often than not, the health benefits are implied in the name. For example, we figured that snacking on St. John's Wort Tortilla Chips must stop you from weeping uncontrollably at your desk.
For manufacturers, functional foods have been lucrative. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, sales of these products topped $14 billion last year. And though functional foods were nearly nonexistent 7 years ago, they will account for 10 percent of the 1,600 new food products introduced in 1999.
But are they really better for you? We asked nutrition experts to review some of the functional foods flooding the supermarkets. They named four of the most common problems that keep these foods from delivering on their promises.
Problem #1: It's tough to tell what you're really eating.
Ginkgo. Ginseng. Echinacea. These ingredients are often found in functional foods, and they sound impressive. But these herbs are effective only if they're taken in large enough amounts. "The difficulty in evaluating many functional foods is the lack of label information. You can't tell how much of a nutrient or botanical has been added to the product," says Barbara Gollman, R.D., of the American Dietetic Association. "Without this information, it's impossible to give an accurate assessment of how welll the productts work."
Consider Arizona Iced Tea, which sells a line of drinks spiked with ginseng. Only the manufacturer knows how much herbal goodness is in each brew. The labels don't say, and neither would the company when we called to ask for information.
Problem #2: There probably isn't enough good stuff inside to make a real difference.
When manufacturers do disclose a product's contents, the amounts of active ingredients are often insubstantial. "Most of these foods don't come close to containing the dose necessary for a therapeutic benefit," says Kara Dinda of the American Botanical Council.
For example, Sobe's Shen Essentials contain kava kava. But according to American Botanical Council guidelines, you'd need to drink four or five bottles a day--about 500 calories' worth--to feel less anxious. The same goes for Hansen's Healthy Start Intellijuice, which contains Siberian ginseng and Ginkgo biloba, ostensibly to increase energy and improve concentration. "It provides only about 10 to 20 percent of the amounts recommended by the German Commission E reports," says Cyndi Thomson, R.D., Ph.D., the functional-foods spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Problem #3: Many of the health claims aren't backed by solid research.
Some functional foods make impressive promises, but the research behind them is often misleading, inconclusive, or nonexistent. One of the worst offenders we found was Brain Gum. The package claims that the gum--which contains the fatty acid phosphatidylserine--can improve memory, learning, and concentration, but the studies have generally involved people (or rats) with age-related memory problems or Alzheimer's. "It's premature to think this gum will improve the average person's memory," says Thomson, who points out that the maker recommends chewing six pieces a day to reach the average dosage used in the research the company cites in their brochure.
Then there's Cats Claw Cruncch, an herbal snack chip. Most of the claims on the package are innocuous: "All Natural," "Crunchy," "Low-Fat." It's the promise of "Longevity" that made us suspicious. Eating less fat may be healthy for your heart, but no research has shown that the herb cat's claw will help you live even a minute longer.
Problem #4: There's probably a better source out there,
You may find a healthy ingredient in a functional food, but there's almost always a better place to get it. For example, St. John's wort helps alleviate mild depression. But you have to take it daily for several weeks to get a significant effect. Why eat a few cans of Hain's chunky tomato soup with St. John's wort every day when you could take tablets instead?
Herbal supplements are more convenient, and many contain standardized amounts of the active ingredients. Many functional foods don't. Perhaps the best summary comes from Jerry McLaughlin, Ph.D., of Purdue University: "Herbal supplements contain bioactive components that must be used in measured amounts, only when needed, and not consumed as foods on a daily basis."
- BY : Rick Chillot
- SOURCE : Men's Health1999.07.01
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