Clinical Aspects of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals

In the last three decades, revolutionary achievements have taken place in nutraceutical and functional food research including the introduction of a number of cutting-edge dietary supplements supported by human clinical trials and strong patents. Novel manufacturing technologies including unique extraction processes, bioavailability improvements through delivery technologies such as nanotechnology, and innovative packaging have been critical steps for their successful positioning in the marketplace and consumer acceptance worldwide.

Nonetheless, mixed messages have emerged from both the scientific community and the media concerning the potential benefits of foods and nutrients in the treatment and prevention of disease. This confusion, in addition to existing marketed products making questionable health claims, have led health practitioners and consumers to become skeptical about nutritional claims of new and emerging food products.

Clinical Aspects of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals provides an extensive overview of the clinical aspects of functional foods and nutraceuticals. It contains information on both nutritional challenges and potential health benefits of functional foods and nutraceuticals. In addition to exploring the underpinning science, the book also focuses on food innovation, functional foods in human health, food–drug interactions, functional foods in medicine, the seed-to-clinic approach, global regulatory frameworks, challenges, and future directions.

The book provides an essential overview of the clinical aspects surrounding functional foods and nutraceuticals for key stakeholders, drawing links between areas of knowledge that are often isolated from each other. This form of knowledge integration will be essential for practice, especially for policy makers and administrators.

Dilip Ghosh is the director of Nutriconnect in Australia and an honorary ambassador at Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI). He received his PhD in biomedical science from the University of Calcutta, India. He has held positions at Organon (India), the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, and the Smart Foods Centre at the University of Wollongong in Australia. He is a fellow of the American College of Nutrition and a member of the editorial board of several journals. Dr. Ghosh has published more than 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals and numerous articles on food and nutrition in magazines and books.

Debasis Bagchi received his PhD in medicinal chemistry in 1982. He is a professor in the department of pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Houston and the chief scientific officer at Cepham Inc. in New Jersey. He is the chair of the International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, past president of American College of Nutrition, and past chair of the Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods division of the Institute of Food Technologists. Dr. Bagchi is also a member of the Society of Toxicology and the New York Academy of Sciences as well as a fellow of the Nutrition Research Academy. He has published 299 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 24 books, and is cited in numerous patents.

Tetsuya Konishi is a professor emeritus of functional and analytical food sciences at Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences (NUPALS) in Japan. He obtained his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from Tokyo College of Pharmacy. Dr. Konishi was appointed as research biochemist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California and later led the laboratory in the department of biophysics and radiochemistry at NUPALS, where he was also a professor. He has published more than 160 original research papers and reviews in peer-reviewed journals. He has also been a member of the editorial board of several journals.He has funded and directed the INSDH (International Niigata Symposium on Diet and Health) since 1999.