Due to quarantine restrictions during the start of the pandemic, a number of people had to change their mindset on health and food. Restaurants were closed, food delivery was considered a risk for contracting the virus and with everybody advised to stay indoors, this pushed people to go inside their kitchens and cook. In a study by Liu et. al, meals consumed by US adults from restaurants are considered average quality with low nutritional value contributing to the high numbers of obesity and chronic illness in America. Awareness on immunity and how a healthy lifestyle and quality food could affect health encouraged consumers to eat better.
Consumers are now seeking for products that boosts immunity and are rich in vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. The shift of consumption patterns opens doors for other food industries such as plant-based meat which was noted to have an upward trend. Different functional foods are now being introduced to the diet. By definition, functional foods are foodstuff that provides health benefits in addition to its basic nutritional value. Also known as nutraceuticals, these functional groups have multiple health benefits, prevent micronutrient deficiencies and may even aid in preventing disease. Functional foods may be separated into two categories—modified and conventional.
Conventional functional foods are considered natural and organic. These are normally rich in vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and are in basic food groups. In contrast, modified functional foods have undergone fortification to add vitamins, fiber, and minerals to increase its health score. With health in question, how much immunity can we get through the food that we eat? Studies have shown that gut health and immunity has a strong connection. People who live in poverty and are malnourished are more prone to infections and debilitating diseases. The elderly, due to their poor eating habits, may suffer from micronutrient malnutrition further weakening their immune system. This micronutrient deficiencies, such as deficiencies in zinc, water soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, fat soluble vitamins, folic acid etc. contribute to different immune responses. Listed below are the common functional foods that are available in the market and how advantageous it is for our health.
Tea
Different kinds of teas have been present since ancient times and passed on from generation to generation. Green tea is proven to be an antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, cardioprotective and even cancer preventive. Epigallocatechin gallate, the bioactive compound in both black and green tea, can also function as an anti-inflammatory by modulating epigenetic methylation, histone modification and facilitates DNA stability and repair. Some anti-viral properties of this catechin have been reported and have been used against some DNA viruses like Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Hepatitis virus and even RNA viruses like HIV and Ebola.
Oats
Oats contain soluble fiber beta-glucan that aids in reducing LDL cholesterol. It can also reduce high glucose and insulin levels. It is also a good source of antioxidant vitamin E, phytic acid and phenolic acid with relatively high levels of protein and unsaturated fatty acids. In the United States, diets rich in oatmeal and oat bran have significantly reduced risk for cardiovascular disease.
Garlic
Allicin, the biological component of garlic, has numerous health benefits such as anti-platelet, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and chemoprotective activities. Traditional medicine has used garlic to fight off numerous viral infections such as the seasonal flu. It also has prebiotic properties and hypercholesterolemic properties making it a highly effective functional food component.
Fermented dairy products
43% of the beverage functional market are dedicated to dairy-based products. More than half of these are fermented products. These are dairy foods that have been fermented with lactic acid bacteria that increases digestibility of the milk, less perishable and good for people with lactose intolerance. Fermented milk products like yogurt also have larger amounts of nutrients delivered as compared to ordinary dairy milk due to the fermentation and enrichment process.
Kombucha
The surge of consumers concerned with gut health has brought the explosion of kombucha in the market. Kombucha, a fermented yeast and bacteria drink, is rich with B vitamins and minerals and has benefits ranging from treating hair loss, improving gut issues, improves energy, toxin removal and boosts the immune system.
Quercetin
Sourced out from onions, fruits and leafy vegetables, quercetin has been linked to numerous health benefits like anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, antioxidant and other psychostimulant activities. In COVID19, quercetin has been studied as a prophylaxis due to its ability to block Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) a known docking station for COVID-19. Other properties of this flavonoid have been studied and its relation to other viruses such as influenza, H5N1 and SARS.
Cucurmin
A compound that is commonly found in turmeric has been found to have profound antioxidative and anti- inflammatory properties in its bioavailable form. Piperine, a major component in black pepper, is usually combined with turmeric to increase its bioavailability. As an antioxidative agent, it can reduce free radicals produced in the body, regulate the activity of glutathione synthase and glutathione catalase which are responsible for neutralizing free radicals. It has also shown promising anti-inflammatory properties by blocking NF-B activation initiated in inflammatory settings. Some studies also hypothesize its role as an anti-bacterial and anti-viral but it is still not fully studied yet.
Berberine An alkaloid, berberine has been around for centuries and used in traditional Chinese medicine to fight ailments. Its major role is in regulating metabolism and reduction in blood sugar levels by decreasing insulin resistance, increasing glycolysis, decrease gluconeogenesis or glucose production in the liver. Studies also show that it may have a role in Chikungunya virus by inhibiting the MAPK pathway that decrease viral replication and generation of virions in the host cell.