Can functional food security decrease the epidemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome? A viewpoint

Abstract

The world is still ignorant about the role of functional food security characterized by diversity and adequacy of nutrients that may have been beneficial and abundant in the Paleolithic diet 40,000 years ago because of food diversity. Therefore, the increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the resultant type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease throughout the world, are closely linked to food security via westernized dietary patterns, physical inactivity, and rapid increase in the rate of obesity. There is substantial evidence that increased intake of functional foods can bring about a significant decline in the epidemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome, resulting in health promotion. We therefore propose that functional food security can maintain the normal physiology and metabolism of our bodies, resulting in prevention of diseases and improvement of world health. © 2016 Nova Science Publishers, Inc