Food provides our body with energy and nutrients but eating too much, too little, or the wrong kinds of food can have major consequences for our health. Eating too many calories leads to obesity. Consuming too few calories, or the wrong nutrients, can also be harmful. A diet containing high levels of saturated fats increases our risk of heart disease, whereas regular consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of cancer. Therefore, eating a balanced diet is important to keep us healthy.
In recent years there has been great interest in the production of foods that aim specifically to boost our health (above and beyond their normal nutritional value). These foods are called functional foods. Their production is a massive industry, worth billions of pounds worldwide. Food companies are trying to develop new foods to promote various aspects of human health, for example boosting the immune system, lowering cholesterol and even improving our memory. Many different types of functional food have been proposed. However, the biggest challenge is to prove that a certain food has any beneficial effect at all. The next challenge is to discover what causes these beneficial effects.
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